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| fl l WATERLOO CHRONICUE 0 Wednesday. December 21. 2011 ' 3 "IS" I I if N EW kitcheneritia.com @ 519-511-2828 - ,,_, ”A-.-‘ H ° till bl HHUG ousmg s a pro em, says _ Bi PAM} Bushman And as the (iity of Waterloo bat- Compared to the rest of the j» ,. . . l V” Viifltflajgilgf]: 4., W, tle.s its $250 million infrastructure country, Vass‘elin said the region ' 5r “ ' ' . ~. , .. j deficit. (Ioun. Diane l-‘reenian fared well. bill the numbers still Q, .. -- ' . he region's homelessness called the affordable housing issue paint aconcerning picture. ' I? _ y 1‘ - r i I situation may have a deficit ofadilierent nature. “If we were graded against the \ 72"“ '53 . improved in 2010. but there " l'his is social infrastructure." rest ofthe country, we would be A» ‘ ; I. .3 i is still a long way to go she said. “ lhis is another pan ofthe plus." she said , A - I _' 3. f' ‘ 1 [his “its the message delitered infrastructure deficit throughout But with intense competition for ’ ' 4‘; ' 4’3." 3 j to city council last week by the the province. rental housing and an insufficient ‘ : : Homelessness and Housing " We can't lose sight of what’s minimum wage. people still strug- "' . 4’." ‘ we; 1 Umbrella (irttlip llllllHil. as it happening inour community." gled. 7 _. f ;' i highlighted its 1010 report card. , . , : “People do not have enough : .3 5.; . fi’ ‘ i l0'1‘lll) \asselin. coordinator oi a” ._ ~ .. money for "cccsgitics' things like ' 4.4-5 1; .' '- ".- 1 i HHUG initiatives, said the number By“ Wr~ food and medication,“ Vasselin it“ 3 ) ’ , .7 a; of homeless people identified here ' J ' "K NH“ ' . said “We have more than I, 200 I ”a " 32' 7' 3" ' ‘ » in Bottiwasshocking. V "f i 7 2 '~‘ ' households on the community ~' if fi" 5‘ v ‘ “We had more than 2,800 hoine- m fi;?'i~;:‘::¢"‘ L. ““5"” waitinglist. . ‘. ‘ z 7; less people in Waterloo Region last ‘5'! WW ‘ > “Due to population growth in _ .233 M A , 7 year." she said "We should he “is? ”7:54?" 7’ “a. the region, the demand continues. ‘3 i: .‘ w _ .1: v shocked that we have that number s ’ ’ . m ‘ “my We're just meeting the challenge." if here." ”7 “ ' a ‘9" M l‘he challenge of housing stabiliâ€" #- lhe llllllt. report tard grades mum ty will not he fully met. Vasselin the region on iinprou-nients ovet IOWOdm hm said. until everyone in the region the past year in four categories. wmmw had safe housing. adequate income ”it hiding homelessness, rental ’ and adequate supports ' housing cost and imome, rental Vasselin said the most noted “Unless tpeople] experience " J housing availability and support to area where improt ements were housing stability they'll never feel ' maintain housing made 7, and cotild continue to be pan oftbe community," she said. “It ' In the categories, the grades made 7 was in supportive housing. costs In times more to do nothing i were ( . li'llllllll\A (1» plus and ( , l-our innovative housing proi- than it does to build supportive 1L" ‘ minus respettuely. for an merall ccts in Waterloo Region such as housing." ’ housing stability grade oi ( plus. \Ilil’ Home. Supportive Housing oi Mayor Brenda llalloran said the -.. ' . based on marginal iinpro\etnent. Waterloo tSIlUWi, \tinnyside Sup lackof affordable housing wasadif 0 With an increased supply of hous- portive Housing and Sunnyside ficult problem to keep pace with. All I want for ChI'lStlnaS no ing. But supports and affordability Campus and the Elmira District “It's a daunting issue to deal Cheyan Kfe'lec 4, whispered her Christmas wishes in Santa's ear i351 Sunday were nearly oifset by increased (Lommunity Living tl€l)(?l.] were with." she said "The need just at Conestoga Mall. She told Santa she wants a panda pillow and has been demand completed. never seems to come down at all." good this year. "”0me move Out of the Cold organizers say number of homeless on the rise again Continued from pagel Waterloo initiative that took 30 were falling through the tracks who haven't found the same type sites, particularly the ones in t hronically homeless people oil because their severance pay of employment they'te traditional Kitchener. will stniggle with ongo» lliose numbers compared to the streetsand ptit thetn into a sin» ments, unemployment benefits ly had iii the manufacturing see ingdotible»digit increases. the peaks the program saw at the hle environment took sortie pres» and other social supports were tor. 'l'annassee hoped the issue oi end oi last year and volunteers stire off the program last season running out after almost three “Where are they going to get homelessness hasn't become lll\ill\t'(l “Hit the program worry when the lzrb Street location i\ as years of coping with an economic jobs when all they've ever done is a structural and said she wondered about what's men during the peak opened downturn factory job?" said l‘annassee. "It's a how the church programs will usage months of lanuary to But the numbers of homeless “Vi/hen you lose your pub and different skill set and when you're continue to cope. ' \lart b have risen to where they were two get severance and unemployment. not comptiter literate are you real- “It's only been six weeks." said ”Hut feed I omits are up It) per years ago when (hit of the (.old it takes about two years until you lygoiiig to be able to grasp it at the 'lannassee. "What is this season cent and our sleep count is up 33 was bursting at the seams. said go through what little savings you age ofSU." going to bring for us? per tent." said latinassee " llie organi/ers. have." said lannassee “l think Savage said more youth were “When this first started it was etonomy is hurting there's no If. “Sometimes it seems like we people have t‘\lhlllsll‘ll those also starting to use the program. supposed to be a handraid solii ands or buts about it and were take a giant leap lorward then we options and no“ they are in this Whl( h speaks to the almost dotr tion btit now it's almost become a seeingit even night " get knocked back down again," situation." ble digit local youth iinemploy» permanent solution. Who thought i llte local iaitli ((tllllllllllllll'\ said Savage about the resurgence And while the strength ol the tnetit rate seen lot ally and across I: years ago we'd still be here." I hoped operating the temporary in the number of homeless people lot al economy has been the the courtly. For more information on the i shelters would stem the title oi “I don't understand ll myself emerging knowledgebased econ While St. lohn's Lutheran and Out of the (Iold program go to 1 local homelessness iiiilil more ’laiinassee said she tliotight omy, ’l'annasse questioned what's First United can accommodate wwwkwootcca You can also permanent solutions were found tiiore oi the people who were happened to all those factory more people in the coming donate your time or money to the lhe \iippoitiie Housing of using the ( tut of the ( .old program workers or titiskilled labourers months. some of the other church individual churches involved. ., '7 w ‘.' - ... , : Pr ~ . ~: "ix“z'ww’ -. ; ' * IT’S :"-" ‘ ‘ i. ”"W as i it. iii? w s: at?“ g 31a an? I“: v . xi: * ' .7 - .: “S ' «’3‘ ”it-“1m like» " . ‘ , 1* .z”.«s:: ' . ' ' " a ‘W‘ / EVERY GINAS ‘ o ) . .. L. ‘. ‘ mas a z or s . 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