The new year has arrived, and Quinte News spoke to Bay of Quinte MP Chris Malette to get his thoughts on how the new year will go.
He said there’s going to be a major push for new housing and solutions to the ongoing homelessness problem.
“It is a housing first solution. I don’t care what you say, yes, we need the mental health supports. We need the addiction supports, but at the crux of it is housing,” said MP Malette.
Local municipalities and non-profits have become eligible for federal funding to address the issue, through new programs. Staff at the MP’s office are working to connect projects to funding streams to help bring more housing in the new year for people in need.
While MP Malette wants to make progress on increasing housing stock, he said that it isn’t the only side to the issue.
“There are just so many tentacles to these problems that when you solve one, you think you’ve got it licked, and then you go ‘Oh, what about,” said MP Malette. “It’s a delicate dance, but we think we’ve got some of the great funding in place for these programs.”
He says supports need to be put in place to help keep people from losing their homes, and that help for residents looking to upgrade from a rental to a house can free up lower cost housing for people in need.
