Picture by Lance Reis.
Editor’s word: The next is a submitted opinion piece on the present state of affairs in Kingston concerning housing and homelessness, and what’s being achieved to assist deal with it, from Metropolis Councillor Conny Glenn. The views and opinions expressed don’t essentially replicate these of Kingstonist.
The plain prescription for homelessness is housing. However similar to prescriptions for different illnesses, it’s not the last word treatment. Homelessness is a posh, multifaceted, societal well being concern. Which is why the options are difficult and slower than we’d all like.
On Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, the Metropolis of Kingston held an open home the place we shared the plans for 309 Queen Mary Street. Lots of you can be conversant in the tales of protests and offended residents, who have been involved about what was going to occur on the property. However the constructive story – one which continues to be unfolding – is what we must be speaking about. It’s a narrative in regards to the energy of collaboration, innovation, and group. It’s a narrative about transitional housing that may make a distinction.
The Extendicare Kingston location on Queen Mary Street shall be remodeled into multi-use facility, together with transitional housing. Picture by Cris Vilela/Kingstonist.
What’s transitional housing?
First, it’s essential to know what transitional housing isn’t. It’s not a consumption remedy web site. It’s not a shelter. It’s not a drop-in facility. It’s not a medical facility.
It’s a type of housing that gives a secure, safe, enabling and home-like bodily setting. Housing the place assist for all times expertise, housekeeping, social companies, and social and leisure actions are offered. Housing that’s designed to maximise residents’ independence, privateness, and dignity, whereas aiding them via the availability of bodily and psychological well being companies. It’s a type of housing that provides individuals the assistance and instruments they should turn out to be free from homelessness in a spot of their very own.
The Queen Mary Street challenge, funded primarily by the Metropolis of Kingston through the Reasonably priced Housing Capital Funds and several other reserve funds, is an progressive begin to assuaging the pressures of a social concern we frequently really feel is past our means to mitigate.
The 35 areas being offered will serve these over 55 years of age with mobility points. The residents can have a non-public house of their very own and there shall be communal areas for cooking and each day actions. What makes the challenge distinctive, nevertheless, is its wraparound helps. The co-located Midtown Well being House will present main care, whereas a collaboration of group companions – together with Kingston Well being Sciences Centre – will present psychiatric care, addictions and counselling care, social and life expertise assist, and bodily rehabilitation.
It could sound too good to be true and it could sound too costly. Nevertheless, whenever you examine the prices per thirty days to remain within the hospital ($30,000), or in a shelter ($6,000 to $7,000), versus supportive housing ($4,000), I feel most individuals will agree that it simply is smart. The residents will even pay lease that helps offset prices, however lease that’s geared to their revenue, or lease that’s particularly designated through varied provincial helps (ODSP, OW). Along with these financial savings and offsets, there are monumental financial savings to the health-care system. Bear in mind, the sick and unhoused account for a disproportionate variety of emergency room visits – this at a time once we’re already wanting well being care suppliers.
The following chapter
Happily, on the Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, assembly of Council, my colleagues demonstrated their assist and accepted this challenge. To get so far meant managing plenty of shifting elements – discovering an appropriate location, discovering the cash to purchase and renovate, and, final however actually not least, constructing a group. I had the privilege of serving to to recruit a number of of those group members from Kingston Well being Sciences. After conversations with certainly one of our emergency room docs final winter in regards to the heartbreak of treating the unhoused, solely to discharge them from the hospital into unhealthy and unsafe circumstances, it was clear there was a willingness to assist. As Metropolis workers reached out and connections have been made, a plan got here collectively, permitting us to mobilize the unimaginable experience inside our personal group. A plan that has now been given the inexperienced gentle. Renovations to the constructing will start this winter, with an anticipated opening by late 2025 or early 2026.
Just the start
Whereas that is thrilling information that we should always all have a good time, it’s essential to do not forget that there are extra prescriptions to fill. As of at the moment, the record of unhoused in Kingston is over 600 individuals. Identical to our group, municipalities throughout the nation will want the sources – monetary and human – to supply the required number of housing. They’ll want absolutely supported housing. They’ll want deeply reasonably priced housing and reasonably reasonably priced housing. And they’re going to want housing for these with disabilities, for youth, for seniors, and for others with various ranges of wants.
What the Queen Mary Street challenge demonstrates is that options do exist. We simply want the sources and the need to make them a actuality.
Conny Glenn, R.Kin.
Councillor – Sydenham District
Metropolis of Kingston
Share your views! Submit a Letter to the Editor or an Op/Ed article to Kingstonist’s Editor-in-Chief Tori Stafford at [email protected].
