City of Windsor Ward 4 candidate Matt Marchand has some ideas about how to address homelessness in the city.
He says the city's plan to address the issues need more urgency. As part of his platform, Marchand released a strategy on homelessness, mental health, and opioids.
"We just need to get on with this and start addressing the problem with some urgency. I think the five-year plan is great, we recognize the city has done some work on that however we need some urgent action," said Marchand.
Marchand indicated he has two ideas that could be implemented quickly and at a low cost that could help people experiencing homelessness transition to employment and establish more stable lives.
Marchand's first proposal is to install transitional storage lockers in the city. These lockers would give people a space to keep their belongings safe while finding work or going to other appointments.
The second proposal is to develop a work placement model in which the city can hire people experiencing homelessness to clean up alleys, streets, and parking garages.
"It gives an opportunity for the homeless to reengage in society and have a job, a place to go. You combine that with a safe place to leave their belongings, it reengages them back into the workforce," said Marchand.
There are seven other candidates running for the Ward 4 councilor position including Giovanni ‘John’ Abati, Edy Haddad, Gregory Heil, Mark McKenzie, Jake Rondot, Kristen Siapas, and Patrick Sutherland.
The municipal election is on October 24, 2022.