Elevate NWO government director despatched a letter on Monday to Ontario’s housing minister Paul Calandra asking for an audit of vacant social housing models within the Thunder Bay district.
THUNDER BAY — Elevate NWO is severing its contract with the District of Thunder Bay Social Companies Administration Board in an effort to freely advocate its unhoused shoppers.
“Final week, my workers discovered the fourth lifeless physique of the 12 months in a homeless encampment,” mentioned Holly Gauvin, government director of Elevate NWO.
“This is not OK anymore,” mentioned Gauvin. “So we wish solutions. We would like them from the province.”
Gauvin despatched a letter on Monday to Ontario’s housing minister Paul Calandra asking for an audit of vacant social housing models within the Thunder Bay district.
Gauvin mentioned she has knowledgeable TBDSSAB that Elevate shall be terminating their contract on the finish of this calendar 12 months.
“It is vitally troublesome for us to take cash from them whereas being essential of insurance policies,” she mentioned.
“We have determined that as a corporation, we will actually pursue advocacy efforts on behalf of our shoppers as a result of nothing has modified within the 5 years that we have been doing this.”
The TBDSSAB has declined to remark on the choice or the statements made by Elevate NWO.
Gauvin mentioned her group does not take situation with the native DSSAB workplace. “Our situation is additional upstream. Our situation is with the coverage makers, not with the workers which are simply doing their job.”
Her greatest concern is with a scarcity of funding in social housing. She mentioned she’s heard unconfirmed experiences that there may very well be as many as 200 social housing models within the district which are unoccupied and in want of restore.
Gauvin desires the province to evaluate the necessity and create an motion plan for repairs and make it a precedence to make housing models obtainable to these dwelling in shelters and encampments.
The very best that I’m able to do is throw a tent round someone,” mentioned Gauvin. “And that’s not acceptable as a long run answer.”
“We’d like one thing that is everlasting. We’d like one thing that’s going to really maintain individuals and never simply be non permanent or transitional,” mentioned Gauvin.
Gauvin mentioned she loves that there are new transitional housing models coming to the town, however that non permanent housing is not sufficient.
“Our query is: transition into what? In some unspecified time in the future, we nonetheless want inexpensive housing and plainly this inexpensive housing inventory is being deserted.”
Gauvin additionally desires the DSSAB to be extra accountable to the town.
“Our metropolis is staring on the prospect of a reasonably massive invoice for a pallet village,” mentioned Gauvin.
“That is meant to be a brief answer,” she continued. “However for it to be a brief answer, we’d like inexpensive social housing.”
Elevate NWO had been getting $348,000 a 12 months from the DSSAB. Gauvin mentioned the funding coated supplies, not workers. Though there shall be some restructuring, she mentioned they are going to nonetheless have the ability to provide all their providers.
Nevertheless, their encampment outreach shall be decreased — all the way down to as soon as per week as a substitute of each day — and the sources they’ll present shall be considerably decreased.
“We’re speaking tents, we’re speaking meals, we’re speaking winter jackets and boots. These varieties of issues,” mentioned Gauvin. “There shall be some, however it’ll be a really restricted amount.”
Elevate NWO has been in a position to assist tons of with these sources over time, mentioned Gauvin. “We’ll simply must be extra inventive in the way in which that we discover these sources and help our individuals.”
“However on the finish of the day, I believe that our technique is a sound one,” she mentioned.
“We have to struggle for housing, not for tents.”
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