A Better Tent City to see extension for another year and a half
Posted Oct 17, 2023 07:38:31 AM.
Last Updated Oct 17, 2023 12:49:12 PM.
The City of Kitchener is giving A Better Tent City beside the school board offices an extra year and a half of life.
A joint statement sent out Monday night confirms the City has extended the land use license agreement for the shelter site at 49 Ardelt Avenue to May 2025.
The site includes individual tiny home cabins for about 50 people, plus a large trailer with showers and bathrooms, all set up beside the offices of the Waterloo Region District School Board.
It also includes access to on-site healthcare and other social services.
In a statement, Jeff Wilmer, chair of A Better Tent City, sends his thanks and appreciation to Council and the school board, saying without their permission to continue the site, “the 50 residents of ABTC would very likely have no safe place to go. But with it, they have stability, meals, access to basic services, healthcare and, most importantly, hope.”
Mayor Berry Vrbanovic says, “I’m so proud to serve with my colleagues on Kitchener Council with their openness to innovative solutions and their prioritization on the full range of affordable housing to once again support A Better Tent City and its residents.”
In addition, jeewan chanicka, director of education, Waterloo Region District School Board writes, “Embracing our neighbours while they await permanent housing reflects our commitment to ensuring everyone in the Waterloo Region has the supports they need to be successful, especially those most marginalized. It’s a core value of ours.”
