‘You’ve already got a really strong foundation’ says consultant

Cathy Dobson/The Independent

Amid all the angst about hundreds of homeless in Sarnia-Lambton, a consultant is praising the community for doing a lot of things right.

“The shelters I visited are doing really good work.  The Hart Hub, the youth programs…there is so much that we’d often say should be your immediate steps but you’ve already got a really strong foundation.

“Now it’s about what we can do with all these resources and assets,” said Chris Gorman, a senior associate with OrgCode Consulting Inc. hired to write a 10-year housing and homelessness plan for Lambton County.

Local initiatives that impress Gorman include housing for youth at Ohana Landing in Sarnia; shelter beds at River City Vineyard that require residents to be sober and provide a place to stay after detox; co-ordinated mental health and addiction services; church programs that provide drop-ins and clothing; Connect Sarnia drop-in on Christina Street; Lambton County outreach workers and the CHIC health team that brings medical care to the streets.

“We see extremely strong partnerships,” said Gorman. “I agree there is a good amount of hope and possibility.”

In gathering information for a 10-year plan, OrgCode hosted two public consultation sessions in the last week, one in person at Pat Stapleton Arena and the second held virtually on Wednesday. About 25 people attended the two events.

The consultants are also doing an online survey in preparation for their plan and already have 600 responses that Gorman said provide insight that will be “folded” into the final report.

Among the survey findings:

• 87 said they’ve experienced homelessness;
• 30 said they felt at risk of becoming homeless in the next year;
• 199 said they were concerned about their current living situation based primarily on their ability to pay the rent.  Others have safety concerns, worry about the condition of their housing, the threat of eviction and overcrowding;
• 175 said that if they have a housing issue, they don’t have someone who could help them;
• 281 said they see people experiencing homelessness in their day-to-day life; and
• 378 said this is the worst homelessness has been in Lambton County.

No one who attended Wednesday’s consultation said they want to see an increase in emergency shelters, Gorman said.  Instead, the majority said they’d prefer to see more supportive housing with on-site supports to help people with complex needs.

Data presented by OrgCode indicates that 325 people are currently on Lambton County’s By Name list, which reflects numbers of homeless or precariously housed.

What’s noteworthy is that 57 per cent or 186 people were chronically homeless for six months or more in January of this year.  That compares to 220 chronic homeless a year earlier, Gorman said.

“Chronic homelessness has actually gone down, which typically means people are moving into housing,” he said.  “You don’t often see this across Canada. 

“It’s a bright spot for Lambton County.”

Many people voiced concerns at the consultation about what strategy is needed to address homelessness both immediately and over the next decade.

Some expressed a need for better education about supportive housing.  Several said it is important there is no concentration of shelters and supportive housing in any one neighbourhood.

During Wednesday’s meeting, all participants said they want more investment in supportive housing.

“If we’re going to address people with complex needs, supportive housing is needed,” said Gorman. 

It was noted that Lambton County is responsible for social housing, yet the majority of need is in the City of Sarnia.

“The city or the county can’t do it on their own.  There needs to be collaboration,” agreed OrgCode Senior Associate Nicole Cortese. 

OrgCode’s new 10-year plan is expected to go to Lambton County council for approval within the next few months, said Gorman. 

“We aren’t going to sit on it and hope that things magically get better,” he said.