Regional councillors to be presented final report on the plan to end chronic homelessness

The final report on the region’s plan to end chronic homelessness will be presented to regional councillors in the coming days.

The report, titled Navigating complexity Together: A Roadmap to Functional Zero by 2030, includes 30 projects and initiatives across seven focus areas to be taken on by the region. It was co-created by the region and 40 organizations aiming to address and end chronic homelessness and has been in the works since early 2023.

Some of the projects include a climate and extreme weather protocol, identifying surplus and underutilized lands to create more housing and expanding and creating new multi-service agency housing hubs across the region. A full list can be found here.

The report found that since January 2020, chronic homelessness across the region has increased by 129 per cent, or 28 per cent annually. It notes if that trend continues, the number of residents experiencing homelessness could triple by 2028.

Youth homelessness in particular was found to have increased across the region, with a survey from the Children and Youth Planning Table showing 13 per cent of respondents were experiencing homelessness in 2023.

In February 2024, 558 individuals were on the Prioritized Access to Housing Supports (PATHS) list. The average number of days a person would be on that list was 1,403, which is equal to three years and eight months. 12 per cent of the people on that list identified as indigenous, showing an overrepresentation in the community, as they only make up 1.7 per cent of the region’s population.

This year, the region is set to invest approximately $56 million into the local homelessness system in areas such as shelter, supportive housing, outreach and prevention. The report finds this is not enough to keep up with current trends to end homelessness in the region.

Councillors on the Community and Health Services Committee will hear the report during their meeting on April 9.