More youth in Chatham-Kent will have a safe place to sleep thanks to a new provincially-funded program coming to the municipality.
Council unanimously approved a motion at Monday night's meeting to bring the Homes First for Youth Program to Chatham-Kent.
The program will provide youth ages 16 to 25 with a permanent home in the community of their choice, along with support systems in place to help them become self-sufficient. A report, which was presented to council, states that funding will be provided for eight portable housing benefits annually through the Canadian Mental Health Association in Lambton-Kent. House of Sophrosyne will also be provided with funding for five portable housing benefits annually.
Chatham-Kent will be hiring three full-time permanent youth intensive case managers, one full-time permanent administrative assistant, and one full-time permanent supervisor position. All five positions are 100% provincially funded.
The program is run under the Home for Good Initiative, which is a homelessness focused program that supports the province's goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2025. The program is designed to prioritize youth experiencing chronic homelessness, Indigenous youth, youth transitioning from correctional facilities or child protection agencies, as well as youth with addiction or mental health concerns.
According to the report, the number of people that receive social assistance in Chatham-Kent is higher than other areas in the past decade. Chatham-Kent's 10 Year Housing & Homelessness Plan study estimated that annually approximately 108-144 youth are homeless or don't have stable living conditions. Of those youth, 58 were between the ages of 16 to 21.