NEWS RELEASE
WATERLOO REGION
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Regional Council approved the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness as the Region’s official plan to prevent, address and end chronic homelessness in Waterloo Region.
The final report, Navigating Complexity Together: A Roadmap to Functional Zero by 2030 was co-created by the community to respond to the homelessness crisis in Waterloo Region.
The unprecedented community-led creation of the plan, led by a co-creator group, had experts on housing, homelessness and health care who all came together to develop recommendations to end chronic homelessness. The group includes academic researchers, shelter system partners, people with lived experience and expertise, mental health workers, as well as individuals from Indigenous and equity-deserving groups.
Regional staff also worked with The Social Development Centre (SDC) through an innovative partnership that shared insights of people with lived or living experience of homelessness directly to the project. The SDC-led Lived Expertise Working Group published the Lived Expertise Prototyping Report to complement the plan.
“Homelessness is deeply impacting the community. Over 550 people are currently experiencing chronic homelessness across the region and that number continues to rise at an alarming rate,” said Jim Erb, chair of the community and health services committee. “Every person in Waterloo Region deserves a safe place to call home. I’m proud of our local community coming together like never before to build this bold and ambitious plan to support the most vulnerable.”
The final report outlines seven Strategic Focus Areas, which are supported by 30 defined actions needed to end chronic homelessness. The Strategic Focus Areas are:
- Create policy and system accountability
- Centre community voices
- Build system bridges
- Advance equitable housing
- Focus on preventing homelessness
- Change the narrative on housing and homelessness
- Advocate and collaborate for broader change
The final report explores the current state of homelessness in Waterloo Region; the importance of Housing First and human rights approaches to ending homelessness; and the complex causes of homelessness.
“The Plan to End Chronic Homelessness sets the vision for long-term solutions after much collaboration and conversation. This is truly a made in Waterloo Region roadmap to address an increasingly complex issue through a unique approach and new partnerships across all orders of government,” said Regional Chair Karen Redman. “We know that despite our best efforts in Waterloo Region, our current system is not adequately resourced to address the growing number of people who need support. Together, we are capable of ending chronic homelessness and we know these solutions can be implemented elsewhere.”
Community members provided input to the Plan through a broad community engagement effort last summer through thousands of conversations and meaningful ideas shared.
Implementation of the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness will continue over the coming months. Regional staff and area municipalities will develop a plan for funding and advocacy actions based on recommendations from the final report and council report CSD-HOU-24-006, delivered to Council in the fall.
More information about the development of the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness is available on EngageWR.
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