Belleville’s Homelessness Task Force has submitted their findings regarding homelessness in the city.
The 37-page document is a comprehensive breakdown both of the group’s findings, and their 10-point recommendation for how to address homelessness in Belleville.
The task force identified five core issues driving the homelessness problem in the area. Those core issues are listed as a lack of supportive and transitional housing, homelessness as a health and systems issue, encampments as indicators of system gaps, need for low-barrier services, and unsustainable municipal funding and governance. Supportive and transitional housing was identified as the most urgent part to tackle, with only 21 beds available in local emergency shelters, and nearly 250 people listed as needing shelter. Unreliable government funding for housing supports was also identified as a key obstacle, with provincial contributions to programs not keeping up with rising costs and inflation, putting increasing pressure on municipalities to make up the difference.
A 10-point call to action was included in the report, with steps that include accelerating the development of supportive housing projects, expanding emergency shelter measures, and expanding access to low-barrier integrated services to help get people off the streets in the short term. Longer term measures include advocating for increased funding and implementing robust tracking of key metrics to demonstrate progress or indicate where additional work is needed.
