A three-year project to coordinate access to services for reducing homelessness is being recommended to Hastings County Council.
On Wednesday, the Hastings County Community and Human Services Committee approved $64,000 of Hastings County’s provincial funding in the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) for the study being undertaken by a team at Bridge Street United Church.
The program will provide residents with local information for such services as mental health, addictions and housing.
County department Director Erin Rivers tells Quinte News it will expand the Reaching Home program which means she could find out what’s happening in any particular area of the county.
At present Reaching Home is available in Belleville only.
Rivers says the new system, when in place, would allow her to keep a close understanding of what services are being used most and where they are being used.
The study will include information, screening, acuity assessments, and an integrated service and resource mapping plan.
It will allow people to access support services and benefits to meet their needs.
In his presentation to the committee, team leader of the study, Steve van de Hoef of Bridge Street United Church, pointed out that data from the Hastings County Systems Map in November and December of 2019, showed that 932 interactions were recorded, with the top items pertaining to legal, food, housing, addictions and youth.
Van de Hoef announced that there will be an open house on the mapping system at Belleville Public Library in February.
