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At a workshop on April 13, 2007, the Tri-Cities Homelessness Task Group identified 35 gaps in services to the homeless and those at risk of homelessness in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody. The following gaps received the most votes, and are listed in priority by the number of votes received:
- Emergency shelter for adults, including beds and services for males and females, and for women and children who are not fleeing violent abuse;
- Detox services for men, women and youth;
- Affordable rental accommodation for singles and families;
- Low-barrier supported housing;
- A drop-in centre for services to the adult homeless, with access to shower and laundry facilities in the interim;
- Outreach services;
- Services for those with the highest level of mental illness/tertiary outreach services for mental health consumers;
- Regional cooperation within the Tri-Cities;
- Transportation.
The following actions were then established (in priority order) to address the gaps identified:
- Prepare a proposal for emergency shelter beds and advocate for new capacity with appropriate partners;
- Conduct a planning exercise to best determine detox needs for the Tri-Cities;
- Advocate with federal, provincial, regional and municipal governments to increase the supply of social housing;
- Determine appropriate models for additional supported housing facilities and advocate with potential funding partners for such facilities;
- Determine an appropriate model for a drop-in centre and advocate for partners;
- Plan and arrange for shower and laundry facilities in existing facilities until a drop-in centre is created;
- Determine what outreach capacity is needed in the Tri-Cities;
- Advocate for increased mental health outreach staff and services for those with a serious mental health illness;
- Continue to encourage cooperation between the Tri-Cities municipalities and with the Task Group to coordinate efforts to address homelessness;
- Develop a transportation strategy for the homeless to enable them to better access services;
- Develop and implement a community advocacy strategy to inform and engage the community in addressing homelessness in the Tri-Cities.
To view the full proceedings of the strategy workshop, refer to the workshop report Homelessness Action Strategy for the Tri-Cities | |
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