HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-14-086 - Out of the Cold ProgramStaff Report
I rTC'.�► t .R Community Services Department wmkitchenerca
REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: August 25, 2014
SUBMITTED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director of Community Programs and
Services,
(519- 741 -2200 x7687)
PREPARED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director of Community Programs and
Services,
(519- 741 -2200 x7687)
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: August 19, 2014
REPORT NO.: CSD -14 -086
SUBJECT: OUT OF THE COLD UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:
For information.
BACKGROUND:
At its April 14, 2014 Council meeting, City Council passed the following resolution;
"WHEREAS several hundred disadvantaged, homeless people make use
of food and emergency shelter provided by the Out of the Cold program
each of last fall and winter; and,
WHEREAS the Ray of Hope agency has announced it will no longer
provide Tuesday shelter and food service each Tuesday night starting in
the late fall of 2014 which could leave street people without adequate,
necessary shelter; and,
WHEREAS to date no alternate church or charitable groups have
volunteered to replace Ray of Hope and the inner -city Tuesday night
shelter services provided by Out of the Cold;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that City staff work closely with Out of
the Cold organizers, Region of Waterloo Social Services staff as well as
the City of Waterloo in an effort to find a Tuesday night location for the Out
of the cold services;
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that City staff report back at the August 25,
2014 Council meeting on progress made to find an alternate shelter
location; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that this resolution be circulated to the
Region of Waterloo and the City of Waterloo."
Very recently, other groups who have provided Out of the Cold programs have also
announced that they are no longer going to do so.
Regional staff presented a related report (see attached) to standing committee the week
of August 11 2014.
REPORT:
Contact was made with staff from the Region of Waterloo, City of Waterloo and
volunteers and organizers from the Out of the Cold program. This contact included City
of Kitchener staff participation in a meeting on June 27, 2014, run by Regional staff and
chaired by Regional Councillor Sean Strickland, and attended by Out of the Cold
volunteers, as well as staff from the City of Waterloo.
The intent of the June 27, 2014 meeting was to: i) provide an overview of the Region's
Homelessness to Housing strategy and its direction, ii) discuss how Out of the Cold
guests can be served within the housing stability system, iii) identify any concerns with
the current emergency shelter system from Out of the Cold's perspective, iv) to discuss
the possibility of having Outreach Workers provide services to Out of the Cold guests to
become engaged in the housing stability system, and v) to discuss a response to the
City of Kitchener's resolution to find a Tuesday night location for the K -W Out of the
Cold program.
Region of Waterloo Homelessness to Housing Strategy
It was determined at this meeting that a full overview of the Homelessness to Housing
Strategy, endorsed by Regional Council, would be provided during a separate training
day. On a general level however, information was shared on i) the development of the
strategy, including the focus of the strategy on ending homelessness through a housing
first model, ii) the resources available within the housing stability system, and iii)
understanding people who experience persistent homelessness, living without a fixed
address repeatedly or for long periods of time.
There was also discussion about how the Out of the Cold program fits within the
housing stability system, as another shelter option where people can stay, and
acknowledgement that many people who access the Out of the Cold sites often
experience persistent homelessness and are dealing with complex mental health and /or
substance abuse issues.
It was clarified at this meeting that the Region's role is to support integration of
individuals with a focus on longer term housing stability solutions. It was discussed and
Out of the Cold site coordinators agreed, that having Outreach Workers visit Out of the
Cold sites, would be beneficial to engage guests in the housing stability system. Region
of Waterloo staff were to further investigate the feasibility of this option.
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Identified concerns and issues
All but one K -W Out of the Cold site were represented at this meeting and a number of
issues faced by the volunteers and organizers at the various sites were brought forward.
Concerns and issues could be categorized into:
• Those related to behaviours of Out of the Cold guests (e.g. drug use, disposal of
used needles, and violent behaviours),
• System level issues and Gaps (e.g. hospitals discharging people who still require
medical assistance; the need for greater communication with the emergency shelter
system; the need for wet shelters), and
• Training needs of the volunteers (e.g. Non - violent crisis intervention training,
training around drug use, mental health, first aid, sexual assault, trauma, and partner
abuse).
At the conclusion of the discussion it was agreed that Regional staff would coordinate a
small committee to plan a day and half of training for K -W Out of the Cold volunteers to
help address the issues brought forward.
The Tuesday night site
The coordinator of the Tuesday night site, which was hosted in the past out of Ray of
Hope, provided a status update on the search for an alternate Tuesday site. The desire
of the coordinator is to find something by the end of August. She has been contacting
churches and investigating other empty buildings located within or around the downtown
area. Generally, the ideal site would be an empty building in the downtown that had a
large space where people could sleep, have access to showers, laundry facilities, space
for clothing and food hampers, space for food storage, office space, and the appropriate
amenities to serve meals, meeting all building and fire code regulations including a
fireproof room to store mattresses.
City of Kitchener staff met with the Tuesday evening coordinator to review an inventory
of City -owned facilities in or around the downtown to see if there was anything available
that met the Out of the Cold requirements. It was found that although there are facilities
that are owned by the City of Kitchener in the downtown, they were either programmed,
leased, did not meet some important needs required by the Out of the Cold program, or
would not meet the necessary building and /or fire codes.
Next Steps
To summarize, the subsequent items of follow up were agreed upon-
1 . Staff at the region will coordinate a committee to plan a day and half of training
for Out of the Cold volunteers. Three Out of the Cold volunteers agreed to assist
with the organization. A meeting will be convened over the summer period.
2. Staff at the region will determine the feasibility of resourcing outreach workers for
Out of the Cold sites. It was acknowledged that there has been a connection
between outreach and Out of the Cold, however staff will consult with existing
providers to determine the feasibility of extending outreach to evening hours,
staying within existing funding.
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3. Although City of Kitchener has no facilities available to support the Out of the
Cold program, staff will continue to provide support to the site coordinator as she
continues to contact the local churches in the area.
Additional Discontinuations
In recent weeks other groups who have provided Out of the Cold programming have
announced that they are discontinuing their programming. Part of the reason for these
decisions is that there is capacity available in hostel -type accommodation.
The lack of Out of the Cold shelter opportunity on certain nights may have the positive
effect that more people may be encouraged to go to the hostels, where the trained
professional staff may provide the appropriate support required.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
Community Priority: Quality of Life — "Our shared vision is for Kitchener to be a
community that invests in maintaining basic services, in addition to
amenities such as community centres, museums, theatres, art
galleries, and leisure facilities ..."
Strategic Directions-All voices matter; A city where everyone has a place; Nurture a
sense of pride and community; Community programs and facilities.
Community Priority: Dynamic Downtown — "Our shared vision is for Kitchener to be a
community that has built a vital and lively downtown which provides
all residents with a unique mix of exciting big -city amenities and
diverse services
Strategic Directions: Perception and Reality — Increase the sense of safety and vitality
of the downtown, with increased residential, options, enforcement,
green spaces, meeting places, cultural events and more.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
NA
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, CAO
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Report: SS -14 -036
Region of Waterloo
Social Services
Social Planning, Policy and Program Administration
To: Chair Sean Strickland and Members of the Community Services
Committee
Date: August 12, 2014 File Code: S13 -40
Subject: K -W Out of the Cold Update
Recommendation:
For information
Summary:
This report provides a summary of meetings that have taken place in response to the
request for support K -W OOTC Tuesday night services and the program as a whole.
Much progress has been made toward the resolution of a number of issues including:
concerns with guests who have complex issues, system level barriers and gaps, training
needs of volunteers, the option for having street outreach workers available at the K -W
OOTC sites and the identification of finding an alternate Tuesday night site.
Report:
1.0 Background
An information memo was provided to Community Services Committee on June 17,
2014, which gave an overview of the Region's role with respect to homelessness and
housing stability, Kitchener - Waterloo Out of the Cold (K -W OOTC) and its history in the
context of the housing stability system in Waterloo Region. The memo also discussed
further meetings with K -W OOTC in an effort to respond to the City of Kitchener's
resolution as well as the OOTC Tuesday night site Coordinator and volunteers to find an
alternate location and to look at options to best serve people accessing OOTC within
the housing stability system. Below is a summary of the information shared at the
meetings and next steps.
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August 12, 2014 Report: SS -14 -036
2.0 Meetings with K -W Out of the Cold
On June 4, 2014, Councillor Sean Strickland and Douglas Bartholomew- Saunders,
Commissioner, Social Services, met with the Tuesday night OOTC Site Coordinator and
volunteers at their request. This initial conversation determined that another meeting
was needed.
On June 27, 2014, Social Services, other K -W OOTC sites, as well as staff
representation from the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, met to discuss the Council
endorsed Homelessness to Housing Stability Strategy, hear from the OOTC site
coordinators and volunteers, and look at options to best serve people accessing OOTC
within the housing stability system. All but one K -W OOTC sites were represented at the
meeting. The Tuesday night site Coordinator provided an update on the progress of
finding a site and was hopeful to have a location by the end of August. The group
discussed a number of issues including: concerns with guests who have complex
issues, system level barriers and gaps, training needs of volunteers, and option for
having outreach workers available at the K -W OOTC sites.
Street Outreach programs within the housing stability system facilitate connections
between people who are street - involved and the wide variety of community resources
available. These programs strive to meet people where they are at and exercise
flexibility wherever possible to increase accessibility. Four Street Outreach programs
are included under the umbrella of STEP Home as an essential support and referral
source to other STEP home programs (including intensive support programs) for people
experiencing persistent homelessness. Street Outreach programs are funded through a
variety of sources and provide a wide range of general and specialized services. Most
Street Outreach programs are offered during daytime hours on weekdays, however
some programs have flexible hours and may provide support in the evenings or
weekends as necessary to best meet the needs of the people they walk with. Currently,
the Region allocates $150,000 in Regional and Federal funding to four General Street
Outreach programs which covers approximately 3.5 full time Street Outreach positions
across approximately 10 people.
3.0 Next Steps
From the June 27, 2014 meeting, the following next steps were determined:
• Region staff to coordinate a small committee to plan a day and half of training for
K -W OOTC volunteers. Three representatives from the OOTC have volunteered
to participate. Region staff will convene a meeting over the summer.
• Region staff to determine the feasibility of resourcing outreach workers to K -W
OOTC sites. While there has been a connection between outreach and OOTC
previously, staff will consult with existing providers to determine the feasibility of
extending outreach support to evening hours and within existing funding.
• City of Kitchener to support the Tuesday night site in finding alternate location.
City staff will determine if there is an appropriate and available location.
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August 12, 2014 Report: SS -14 -036
• Region staff to bring back a report to the August 12, 2014 Community Services
Committee.
Corporate Strategic Plan:
Working to strengthen the housing stability system and build the community's capacity
to address issues of homelessness is consistent with the Region's Corporate Strategic
Plan, Focus Area 4: Healthy and Inclusive Communities: to "foster healthy, safe,
inclusive and caring communities "; and specifically, Strategic Objective 4.5 to "work
collaboratively to increase the supply and range of affordable housing and reduce
homelessness ".
Financial Implications:
While the Region did provide one time start up costs initially, there is no ongoing
funding for the OOTC initiative outside of the provision of discount bus tickets. The
feasibility of extending outreach to evening hours would have to be cost neutral. The
provision of training can be accommodated within the existing budget for homelessness
prevention.
Other Department Consultations /Concurrence:
Attachments
NIL
Prepared By: Van Vilaysinh, Manager, Social Planning
Lynn Randall, Director, Social Planning, Policy, and Program
Administration
Approved By: Douglas Bartholomew- Saunders, Commissioner, Social Services
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