Erbs Road shelter funding well spent: Housing Advocate

As the Region of Waterloo looks to find solutions to the homelessness crisis, a local housing advocate is praising the funding announcement for the Erbs Road Emergency Shelter.

Earlier this month, regional committee voted to continue funding the shelter until 2030. That includes $2.6 million allocated for 2025, some of which will be used to permanently connect the area to the City of Waterloo wastewater system.

Philip Mills, CEO, Habitat For Humanity Waterloo Region told The Mike Farwell Show when it comes to addressing housing, there isn’t one solution; there needs to be several problems solved on the way to eventually ending homelessness.

“We have to be careful about taking a system approach and not saying homeless is the only option or affordable rental is the only thing we need to focus on. We need to do a little bit of everything or else none of this will ultimately solve the problem.”

There was some opposition to the funding: Two councillors voted against it at committee — Wilmot Mayor Natasha Salonen and Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett.

Mills said when dealing with complex issues there will always be those who don’t think the focus is on the right area at that particular time. He used the analogy of fighting a house fire with a bucket or a firetruck.

Mills said it doesn’t have to be either/or. The region can fight the fire with the bucket until the truck is built.

“It’s never just enough to say we’re doing something meaningful for the group as they’re experiencing it. It’s either: why isn’t this a bucket or why isn’t this a firetruck? I think that creates an inability to get anything done.”

He said no matter how people look at it, the funding announcement is a good thing. Anytime there’s an opportunity to get someone off the street and into a more stable situation, it’s a win.