‘This system clearly isn’t working’: Wilmot mayor calls for more permanent housing

The Mayor of Wilmot Township is speaking out on the region’s approach to combatting homelessness.

Natasha Salonen said the region needs to focus more on building permanent housing rather than investing in the shelter system, which she called “broken.” Since the shelter at 1001 Erbs Rd. opened in April 2023, Salonen said only 19 of the 103 people who used it have gone on to find permanent housing — or 18.4 per cent.

“What about the rest of the residents that this system clearly isn’t working,” said Salonen. “I’m frustrated that we’re celebrating and paying into a system that isn’t actually serving the mass majority of people accessing their services.”

The estimated cost for operating the shelter in 2025 is around $2.6 million, which includes the $570,000 cost to connect the 50 tiny homes to the City of Waterloo’s wastewater system. The upgrade is being done to make the shelter comply with Ontario building codes.

Salonen said that the region should take that money and invest it in permanent housing, calling it more cost-effective and having a better impact on the quality of life for the region’s homeless.

“If we do achieve the goal of ending chronic homelessness, then presumably we will not need that site,” she said. “But we’ve invested huge dollars into infrastructure there versus making concrete investments into permanent housing that for generations will pay off.”

On Tuesday, a regional committee voted to extend funding for the site to 2030 and beyond. Salonen and Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett were the only councillors to vote against the motion.

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