Hastings County’s 10-year housing and homelessness plan has hit the halfway mark with an overall review of the proposals.
Manager of Housing Services, Michele Ogden, presented the Five Year Review of the Housing and Homelessness Plan to the Community and Human Resources Committee on Wednesday.
The 240-page report touched on a wide range of subjects, including the great need for housing for people with disabilities, the need of municipalities to offer incentives for affordable housing, and the need to dedicate funding to help rural communities with specific needs.
It notes that the city of Belleville has the third highest housing need in all of Canada, with Toronto and Vancouver heading the list.
It also notes 349 Home For Good participants were helped to find housing and receive ongoing support services to maintain housing.
The report says that federal funding for housing is declining and is expected to end in the years 2034 and 2035.
Director Erin Rivers tells Quinte News she’s very happy with the work the municipalities are doing at present.
Committee member Belleville Councillor Chris Malette called the report a “staggering amount of data, a frightening report, yet there have been small victories.”
Malette said he would like to see a special meeting of city council on the issue.
Quinte West Councillor Karen Sharpe at Community and Human Resources Committee, November 13, 2019 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Quinte West Councillor Karen Sharpe told the committee “We have to move it along, there’s a lot of work ahead. There’s been a lot done since the original report (five years ago) yet here we are.”
Hastings County Warden Rick Phillips called for a meeting of all the municipalities in 2020 to outline everything that needs to be done.
