The City of Stratford is doing what it can to help homeless people over the winter.
Outreach workers from the city and partnering agencies including the Stratford Police and Ontario Provincial Police will now be handing out new care kits to those who find themselves without a place to call home.
The kits include a list of community services and telephone numbers, locations of warming centres and hours, single-use hand and glove warmers, socks, bus passes, and lip chap.
Stratford’s Social Services Director Kim McElroy says the number of homeless people in the area is rising.
“By no means are we alone in this dilemma, it’s across the province, across the nation right now, that we are all struggling with the increased housing and homelessness issues.”
McElroy adds the economy, a lack of affordable housing and ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to an increasing number of people finding themselves homeless.
