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Region will review homelessness projects, says councillor ~Continued from page 1 v;§ "We‘ve had to move peoâ€" 2ple into different rooms and Zhave had to sleep some peoâ€" 7 ple in the halls because the ZSgym isn‘t big enough." z> â€" If accommodating the ©growing numbers of people Eseeking shelter wasn‘t genough of a toll, organizers zhave also had to deal with Ethe local fire department‘s Sdemand for them to build a more secure room to store the program‘s bedding. Seven more people," said zSavage. "And we‘re already ~busting at the seams. Savage is also worried the local publicâ€"health departâ€" ment may become involved if the program is pushed to cram in more people. But Savage said there‘s no other option ... there is no @M:fipeflm Sale apples o new bookings on ccranniew onty $240 OM Savings reflects Jewel of the Savings vary by sading â€"please inquire for h KITCHENER/WATERLOO SHOWROOM 490 Weber St. North, Waterioo (519) 747â€"7754 i hst ol dates/tineranes Certain resinct Kitchener 500 Fairway Rd. S 519â€"896â€"0018 | 519â€"746â€"9570 x above staterooms. made before Feb 15 on selec other place for these people to go. â€" â€" Savage said a growing postion of the overnight guests are women and the working poor who are either underemployed or working for minimum wage. Some longtime volunâ€" teers have become so disâ€" couraged by the growing problem they have scaled back their time commitâ€" ments, while it‘s becoming more difficult to bring in new recruits especially for the overnight shifts. More of them are asking to be woken earlier so they can get to their jobs, he said. "When it comes down to a choice between food and shelter, sometimes people pick food," said Savage. The growing demand has also put a strain on the Waterloo budgets of this charityâ€" based program, which is run on donations by local church congregations. "It‘s stretching our budgâ€" ets too," said Savage. "Since we live basically on donaâ€" tions, you have to realize that this has put a bite into my budget. â€""I‘ve had to up my budgâ€" et by about 25 per cent in the last year." â€" _ Savage said it‘s time for the regional government and its federal and provinâ€" cial partners to tackle the growing _ homelessness problem, and come up with some stable funding and programming of their own. Savage said regional offiâ€" cials once told him there would be no need for the program by 2008. They have since come back to revise those numâ€" bers with no firm commitâ€" ment to make his program "‘BLOWOUT _ SALE _ ' 70"° OFF MAGIC MOUNTAIN CLOTHES YOU LOVE TO LIVE IN ooo se s on â€" uL _ 5198846310 _/ obsolete, he added "They told us that projecâ€" tion was a little bit aggresâ€" sive; it‘s not likely to hapâ€" pen," said Savage. "We kind of figured that out because we haven‘t seen anything happen." Savage, who hoped the program would simply be a Bandâ€"Aid solution until the politicians got their act straight, now sees it as a tourniquet as local volunâ€" teers try to stop the bleedâ€" ing. And while the region has done a good job of building affordable housing, adding 1,500 units over the Sean Strickland In a story that appeared in the Jan. 17, 2007 edition of the Waterloo Chronicle, Kevin Wolfe was named as the owner of Wolfe Interiors of Waterloo. In fact, Wolfe is the former owner of the property at 40 Regina St. in Waterloo, not Wolte Interiors regional councilior vtjcl voov-o.nmnivbic HYDROPOOL selfâ€"cleaning hot tubs Correction past six years, it still hasn‘t addressed the immediate problem of people on the street. "Someone from Out of the Cold has been invited to a meeting in February to discuss some initiatives," said Savage. "That‘s just another meeting, that‘s not doing anything. "My level of frustration is growing because we have good meetings, but nothing comes out of the action plans that come out of these meetings so let‘s stop having them." The new chair of Waterâ€" loo Region‘s community services committee, and a past executive director of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, said, "What we need to do, and something we are examining, is more assisted housing. Waterloo regional Coun. Sean Strickland understands the frustration. "We have affordable housing, but within that broad umbrelia there is assisted housing which has some support for the people that live there. California SPA & FITNESS "And I think many of the people going to the Out af the Cold programs fall into that category." In Waterloo, the Waterloo Interfaith Supportive Housâ€" ing (WISH) initiative hopes to help as many as 75 peoâ€" ple get off the street and into transitional housing that will provide programs in addition to shelter. However, the program, which is being proposed by a number of local churches, hit a funding wall last year and hasn‘t received any firm commitments from any level of government. Strickland said regional council will review projects like WISH and try to bring more assisted housing to the community. "It‘s great that we have these community volunâ€" teers and people who so graciously give their time to help run the Out of the Cold programs; it‘s a fantastic community effort," he said. "But I think everybody would agree it‘s not an acceptable method of meetâ€" ing the needs of people who need some help." %*%