Prince Edward County’s struggle with homelessness was a major topic for discussion at a recent council meeting.
During Tuesday’s council meeting, Prince Edward County Council received a presentation from Scott Robertson, manager at Prince Edward – Lennox & Addington Social Services, about the current state of homelessness in Prince Edward County and efforts to help the people experiencing it.
In Robertson’s presentation, he listed the results of a recent count they took of the homeless in the area. They found 39 people homeless in Prince Edward County, but estimate there are potentially three times as many people experiencing homelessness, as the count didn’t reach every person.
Currently, PELASS offers several services to help people experiencing homelessness, or at risk of becoming homeless. They operate 298 affordable housing units across the county, financial services to help maintain housing, and help refer people in need to other appropriate social programs to get them the assistance they need.
The presentation prompted some discussion among councillors. Councillor Bill Roberts suggested that more drastic measures might be needed to properly address homelessness.
“I often wonder if we’re just dealing with band aids here, and whether this is sustainable, because all the data points to the wealth gap is no longer a wealth gap, it is a wealth chasm in this country,” said Councillor Roberts. “In looking at other data, you see that the richest 1% in Canada hold over 1.2 5 trillion in wealth, which is more than the bottom 50% of Canadians put together.”
Council accepted the presentation for information, but did not take any additional action.
