With the local poverty rate 7.5 per cent above the national rate, the CK Housing & Homelessness Committee is looking to continue their efforts to end homelessness in the municipality.
The 10-Year Homelessness Plan report will go in front of council Monday night. The plan was approved by council in 2014 and provides a detailed annual look at how homelessness can be prevented across the municipality and any challenges that might stand in the way of that goal.
The 2018 report, completed by the CK Housing & Homelessness Committee, outlines that although there were many economic hurdles to overcome, several strides were made last year to combat homelessness.
"The rising cost of housing, declining vacancy rates and decreasing household income is making it harder for people to find and keep affordable housing," stated the report. "Despite these challenges, this report outlines the significant community accomplishments we have made in housing stability and homeless prevention within the past year. In 2018 we improved service prioritization and coordination to ensure people get the right service and support they need at the right time."
Included in the report are the results from Chatham-Kent's first Registry Week in April 2018. In a sample of 258 people surveyed, 70 respondents identified themselves as experiencing homelessness of some type. Of those 70 people, 56 per cent were male and the average age was 38. According to the annual report, the poverty rate in Chatham-Kent is 17 per cent, which would equal about 17,900 people based on a population of 105,000. The poverty-rate for Canada as a whole sits around 9.5 per cent as of 2017.
When it comes to housing in CK, vacancy rates continue to go down. In 2011, CK had a vacancy rate of 7 per cent, but in 2018 that number dropped to 2.3 per cent. Meanwhile, average renting costs have climbed $50 higher per month over the last two years for a one-bedroom residence.
However, some good news for Chatham-Kent is that the municipality has stayed below provincial average when it comes to spending money on 'core needs.' In 2018, 11.9 per cent of renting households across the municipality spent more than half of their income on rent and utilities versus the provincial average of 14.7 per cent.
Chatham-Kent 2018 statistics via Community Human Services
The CK Housing & Homelessness Committee made several important moves to bring more affordable housing to the area in 2018, including hiring a consultant to review existing and develop new affordable housing strategies, which will be reported to council sometime this year. The committee's goal is to have affordable housing make up 25 per cent of all new housing developments. Rents are considered affordable when they are set at 80% of the average market rent for a region. The report shows a clear demand for affordable rental properties in the area.
In 2017, 650 people were on the waitlist for social housing, in 2018 that number climbed to 834.
"In November 2018, Chatham-Kent Council approved combining $1.875 million dollars of Investment in Affordable Housing Extension funding with $548,625 of Social Infrastructure Fund Investment in Affordable Housing and $225,152 from the Municipal Affordable Housing Reserve funds to support three new affordable housing projects," explained the report.
Another number on the rise is the calls to the CK Homeless Response Line, a service that helps people find immediate shelter and provides support to help them find safe and affordable housing. In 2018, 541 calls were answered on that response line, a marked increase from 290 calls in 2017. The implementation of the 'By-Name List' in 2018 has helped several individuals who call the homeless response line. The 'By-Name List' is an up-to-date inventory of all the people experiencing homelessness in the area. Having individuals on the list makes it easier for officials to facilitate decisions around how to best refer people to housing resources. After someone calls the homeless response line, a rapid re-housing case manager meets with them to complete an assessment, place them on the 'By-Name List' and make a housing plan best suited for them. In 2018, CK was able to house 79 high needs chronically homeless individuals from the 'By-Name List.' This is also part of Chatham-Kent's commitment to being one of the 21 Built for Zero communities in Canada.
"The Built for Zero (BFZ) campaign is a national movement to end chronic homelessness by July 2020," read the report. "BFZ is built on action at the local community level, including outreach, data collection and service prioritization for housing and related programs and services. "
The committee has continued several other initiatives in 2018 including the supportive housing 'Homes 4 Youth' program in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Lambton-Kent. Because of this program, 53 homeless youth were successfully housed and provided with support services.
The committee also continued to help people living in violent situations. In 2018, it developed and implemented an integrated domestic violence intensive case manager to families fleeing violence find stable and affordable housing. Committee members were also able to help a total of 26 households out of violent conditions through the Survivors of Domestic Violence Portable Housing Benefit program.
A more comprehensive report on the local homelessness plan is also expected before the end of the year. The Chatham-Kent Housing and Homelessness Plan requires a complete review at its halfway point.