Chatham-Kent's most vulnerable individuals and families who have been staying at the John D Bradley Convention Centre over the past four months will relocate to motel rooms on September 8.
Initially, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent planned on relocating from the convention centre to a temporary shelter on Merritt Avenue in Chatham but after that plan fell through earlier this week, plans were made to have people move to motels. Supports under Employment and Social Services will still be available to individuals experiencing homelessness once the relocation takes place on Tuesday.
Chatham-Kent's temporary emergency shelter opened at the convention centre on April 29. Since then, 167 individuals and families have been helped, 106 of which have worked with municipal staff to secure permanent housing.
Also since April 29, 77 individuals and families have been housed. Twenty-five chronically homeless people have also been situated with permanent housing.
“This has been a challenging time, but these problems did not happen overnight. The pandemic exposed the depth and breadth of the social issues in our community," said Polly Smith, director of Employment & Social Services. "These issues are happening across the country and we cannot keep blaming the victims. We know that while the work is challenging, it is much worse to be homeless, invisible or vilified than to bear witness to it.”
Anyone experiencing homelessness should call (519) 351-8573 or visit Employment and Social Services' main office at 435 Grand Ave. W in Chatham between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. After hours, individuals in need of emergency housing can call the Homeless Response Line (HRL) at (519) 354-6628.
In the meantime, a shelter for men in Chatham is recognizing that the need for help will likely grow over the coming months. During the month of August, Chatham Hope Haven provided 38 families with food from its food bank and 144 meals were served. Chatham Hope Haven is currently accepting donations of clothing and shoes, as well as financial donations.
RONA has chosen Chatham Hope Haven to be part of their 2020 Lowe’s Canada Heroes campaign. During the month of September, customers at the Chatham store will be offered the chance to make a donation of $2, $5, or $10 to support the men's shelter. Lowe’s Canada will then match 50 per cent of donations, up to $2,000.