It was the number one conversation across the 444 municipalities.
That’s according to Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma after attending the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa.
Homelessness was a major topic with many cities struggling to address growing encampments and to develop the supports needed for mental health, addiction, and housing.
The City of Stratford held three consultations on homelessness in August and launched an online survey to gather residents’ feedback on the issue. The outreach is part of the process involved as Stratford creates a new 10-year housing and homelessness plan.
“It provided an opportunity for people to listen and learn about what we have and share where they think we should be going. Whether it’s more cooperative housing or a shelter, we will present them to council.”
Ritsma explained the information from the in-person meetings and surveys will be compiled into a recommendation through the city’s social services department. He added he has a pretty good idea what needs to happen next.
“In my opinion, permanent and supportive housing is where we need to go, and then it’s a continuum of housing from there. People could then go from supportive care to their own apartment with the ability to access supports.”
The mayor said he is committed to making any solution community-based to make a concrete difference.
“For us to deal with it properly, it needs to be an ownership from the community. I’ve been working for the last two years with the Council of Churches, and as a result, I was able to get some short-term funding. We need to find those partnerships, whether it’s the United Way or our own social services department.”
Ritsma said the last thing he wants to see is finger-pointing and accusations that homelessness is one organization’s problem.
“It’s our problem. I was asked a few years ago whose responsibility it was to house people. I said all of ours, and the lady just paused. She said she’d never had that response. We need to put a face and a name to the issue. Not just numbers. That’s where we are heading – a local solution to homelessness.”
He added he’s looking forward to working with any organization looking for a seat at the table to bring the different community silos together.
“Let’s hear your individual voices and then let’s work together so we’re not repeating the same efforts. Collectively, we can impact more lives. We’re all doing it for the right reasons, but let’s not duplicate. We will have more of a positive effect as a team.”
Ritsma admitted sometimes groups can become protective of a service or an initiative they are offering, but added he is confident there is a willingness to come up with a local strategy and solution. He also explained the city has never and would never transport a homeless person elsewhere.
“Sometimes people don’t know what we are doing or perceive what we are doing as nefarious. There has not been one case where we have taken an individual and said we are going to drive them to another community for us to say they aren’t our problem anymore.”
He does recall a situation where a homeless man in Stratford wanted to go to Listowel where he had an opportunity to be housed. It didn’t work out, but Ritsma said he was welcomed into the Stratford system.
“We provided an opportunity for him to come back. I want to assure the public the City of Stratford is not ducking its responsibility on homelessness and not acquiescing it to another community in any way. I can say that with absolute certainty.”
