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5 _WATERLOO * CHRONICLE & Andrea BAILEY g EDITOR ar 275 T editorial@awaterloochronicle.ca & Jennifer ORMSTON = REPORTER ar 203 Z Bob VRBANAC SPORTS EDITOR en 22 w 279 Weber St. N., Suite 20 . Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8 & 886â€"2830 Fax: 886â€"9383 jormston(@ waterloochronicle co EDITORIAL Peter WINKLER PUBLISHER SPORTS EDITOR en. 229 sports(a waterloochronicle.ca ADVERTISING Gerry MATHCE â€" Eu. 230 RETAIL SALES MANAGER CLASSIFIED (5]%) ®Y5â€"5230 salesia warerloochromicle.ca Norma CYCA ext 223 nowa‘a warerloochronicle ca Bill PIHURA ext. 228 bpthura‘a. waterloochronicle ca Curh GIBBS eut. 222 ceihbsar waterlaochromicte.ca CIRCLLANION (519) N8hâ€"2830 en 213 Canadian Publications Miil Sales Publication Agreement Number ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES 40050478 ~ International Standard Serial Number ASSN O832â€"3410 ONTARIO PRESS COUNCIL The Waterloo Chromicle is a member of The Ontaric Press Council, which considâ€" ers complaints against member newspaâ€" pers. Any complaint about news, opinâ€" rons advertising or conduct should first be taken to the newspaper. Unresolved comâ€" plaints can be brought to: Ontario Press Council, 2 Carlton Street, Suite 1706, Toronta. ON . MSB 1J3 The Waterloo Chromcle is published each Wednesday by Metroland Media Group Ltd., a subsidiary of Torstar Corporaâ€" COPYRIGHT The contents of this newspaper are proâ€" tected by copyright and may be used on‘ for personal nonâ€"commercial purposes All other rights are reserved and commerâ€" cial use is probibited To make any use of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copyâ€" tight . For further information contact Andrea Bailey, ditor, Waterloo (hronâ€" cle, 279 Weber St N. Suite 20 Waterloo. Ontano NX NHK Letters to the editor must contain the writer‘s full name, signature. address and telephone number Addresses and telephone numbers are used only for verification purâ€" poses and will not be published . Naities will not be withheld We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject any contribution for brevity or legal purposes. Letters may be submitted by fax to $86â€"9383 or by email to editorialia waterloochromcle ca or by mail or delivered to Waterloo Chromâ€" tle, 279 Weber St. N., Suite 20, Waterloo, Ontanio NJ 3H® Audiged Circulation LETTERS POLICY w ww. waterloochronicle.ca FAX 886â€"9381 EMAI einnal a waterloochmeicle ca MAIL OR IN PERSON 279 Weher Sr N . Suite 20 Waterivo. Ontarie NPJ 3HS 31.392 Readers will reap the benefits of library‘s new funding agreement he Waterloo public library provides an irreplaceable I service in this community, but, in the past, it has been underfunded. Meanwhile, more and more people have been moving to the city, which has led to an increasing demand on the library‘s resources. To accomodate these readers, the library has embarked on a threeâ€"prong approach to expansion â€" one that includes the existing main branch, as well as the creation of two district branches, on the west and east sides of Waterloo. And now, thanks to a decision made by Waterloo city council Monday night, the library will be better able to plan its financial future. _ s S Tim Jackson, the library board‘s chair, said the agreeâ€" ment, which stipulates annual increases will be based upon the municipal price index â€" or inflation â€" and the growth in households, is "a great step forward." That‘s an understatement. An organization that provides such a key function in this comgmunity should be able to rely on stable funding and plan into the future. And with their proposed uses of more efficient meth ods and technology, Jackson said the library will essen tially be able to do more with less. For the past couple of years, the library and the city have been working towards the establishment of a fundâ€" ing agreement â€" one that will allow the library to plan for the next four years. "Although we‘re going to be in the middle, we‘re going to deliver a library service that‘s at the top." _ Because of council‘s decision this week, the more than 1,500 people who visit the library each day will reap the benefits. Out of the Cold shelter program VIEWPOINT I('s a lot to ask local faith communities to house and feed the homeless, but that‘s just what they‘ve been doing for the better part of a decade. And the strain is starting to show at the local Out of the Cold shelter programs. The worst of winter has just hit but the program at First United Church in Waterloo is already seeing a 37 per cent increase in peoâ€" ple seeking emergency overnight accommodation. That‘s already bumped up First United Church‘s costs by 25 per cent this year. They are also feeding 40 per cent more people than they were at this time last year. This is the type of faithâ€" based initiative U.S. Presiâ€" dent George W. Bush has touted as being a great way to solve some of society‘s ills. The problem is that the collection plate is not botâ€" tomless, and demonstrates the flaw in expecting the faith community to solve a problem that will take wider society and government leaders to address. This isn‘t a problem that can be solved by a dedicatâ€" ed and small group of volâ€" unteers who are burning out in record numbers. Homelessness aid is needed now It needs some, dare we say it, government assisâ€" tance. In the latest report the Region of Waterloo‘s social services department has prepared for regional coun cil, staff identified 300 hard core homeless people living on the streets of the region. IRONICLE | The scarier figure is that 2,600 people used the temâ€" porary shelters and emerâ€" gency programs out there above and beyond that number. Those struggling with addiction and other menâ€" tal â€"health issues made the list, but the working poor, women and families were also seeking help. That‘s here in Waterloo Region, not down the road in big cities like Hamilton or Toronto. So who were the people seeking emergency shelter? And those numbers will go up with the manufacturâ€" ing sector taking a big hit; more than 2,000 jobs have been lost in the last year in Waterloo region at places like Laâ€"Zâ€"Boy, B.F Goderich and NCR. The region is doing something about the fundaâ€" mental issue here by creat ing more than 1,500 affordâ€" ableâ€"housing units in the last six years. But that has yet to put a dent in the waiting list for BOB VRBANAC affordable housing with more than 4,000 people still waiting to find something that won‘t eat up their budget. The region is barely keeping up with the flow of humanity and hoping it doesn‘t spill over the levee. The area regional offiâ€" cials concede they have to do more to fund supportive and transitional housing that helps people get off the street by giving them a hand up instead of just a handâ€" out. \ Th?:‘programs provide the basies by putting a roof over the heads of the homeâ€" less while matching them with addiction programs, job counselling and other services to help them reinâ€" tegrate into society. Regional officials have stayed away from the sâ€" word â€" shelters â€" because of the fear it would create a cycle of dependency seen in the shelter system in Toronâ€" to. But that‘s no excuse for the local government to not fund programs like Waterâ€" loo Interfaith Supportive Housing (WISH), which hit a funding wall last year. And it‘s not only the region that‘s to blame; the upper levels of government are shirking their duties to address social housing while balancing their books on the backs of the poor More political pressure has to be put on our federal and provincial politicians to fund a comprehensive homelessness strategy. Until then, it‘s up to soci ety to step up and support the existing programs.