Downtown Kitchener businesses want meaningful action to address homelessness

Earlier this week, the Downtown Kitchener Business Improvement Association (BIA) hosted a meeting of local business owners and representatives from the city, regional police and the Region of Waterloo, to discuss the effects — and possible solutions — of the growing homelessness crisis.

Several owners detailed their experiences dealing with unhoused individuals with mental health or addiction issues that cause damage, threaten staff and customers and leave drug paraphernalia around their establishments. The overwhelming sentiment is that the situation is unsustainable.

Linda Jutzi, Executive Director, Downtown Kitchener BIA, while a guest on The Mike Farwell Show, said the business owners were clear.

“They want action and change. They want some short-term plans and some long-term plans. They asked for assistance with their issues,” she said. “But, what was interesting while listening to them, is they all expressed that they want a better solution for the vulnerable people and they are concerned about them. And, they want elected officials to advocate for them.”

Stephanie Stretch, the representative for Kitchener’s Ward 6, which includes portions of the downtown, said she was encouraged by the unity this issue appears to have created.

“Really, what I walked away with was a real sense of coming together and realizing this isn’t something individual businesses can do on their own,” she said.

Stretch went on to say, “It’s important, following up from that meeting, that we work with a sense of urgency.”

Jutzi said that urgency is already being felt through the creation of a partnership between stakeholders, spearheaded by the City of Kitchener.

“They’re going to lead a group, let’s call it a taskforce, no name yet. But, it’s going to be led by Dan Chapman, our CAO. And, it will include the city. It will include the BIA and Waterloo Region Police Services and the region.”

The taskforce is expected to be put together in the coming weeks and will see its work ramp-up in the spring.

While the taskforce is expected to help, the real solutions will cost money. Stretch says that has to come from upper levels of government.

“I think it’s going to take significant investment and that’s going to mean not just a city investment but investment from every direction we can get it to helping the downtown core.”