District working on tracking homelessness to stay connected with those in need
There are people living in tents in Muskoka.
Jackie Mattice, director of programs for the District of Muskoka’s housing division, said that for several years, the district has given out tents, sleeping bags and supplies to those with nowhere else to go.
“The tents are a last resort; however, it is an option. We really try to exhaust every possible resource that we have,” she said.
The district’s housing department offers an array of resources: rent assistance, transitional housing like the Home for Good project, capital incentives for landlords and developers to create affordable housing, and affordable home ownership programs.
“It’s critical to look at the bigger picture, the whole continuum of supports,” said Mattice. “It’s really just making sure that we support where the need is and that the support continues once they move into that permanent solution.”
The district has close partnerships with local motels. At the end of April, there were between 65 and 75 people living in motels in Muskoka on a long-term basis, and between 10 and 12 people in crisis situations every week staying for one or two nights at a time.
“Homelessness in Muskoka traditionally has been hidden,” said Mattice. “During the pandemic, there wasn’t the ability to couch surf, so it didn’t stay hidden. All those other ways to stay housed disappeared during COVID, so we had an increase in motel use.”
But sometimes, there are no rooms available and shelters are full. Those with friends or family may stay with them temporarily or hop from place to place.
“In some cases, we also have individuals that can’t stay in a motel or don’t want to stay in the motel for various reasons. So at the end of the day, it’s always up to the client in terms of the resources that they access, that they accept or that they use,” said Mattice.
This means they may leave Muskoka to seek shelter or available housing elsewhere. Sometimes, district staff have even booked campsites for clients.
There are about 650 people on the wait-list for district housing with up to an eight-year wait. Singles and seniors make up the biggest portion of the list.
“With more funding and more resources, I think we could actually put a dent in the wait-list, but at this point, at least we’re stabilized,” said Mattice.
The number of people receiving district support who are experiencing homelessness is minimally 10 times greater than any previous year. COVID-19 has exacerbated the problem.
Mattice said the department is not aware of any encampments in Muskoka. In the past, they have visited these sites to offer support.
But there have been murmurings of tent sightings by community members.
At the end of 2021, the province mandated municipalities to create “homeless by name” lists.
“What that’s meant to do is really track the individuals that we’re working with that are experiencing homelessness and where they’re at, what supports they need, connecting with our agency partners and working together to come up with solutions,” said Mattice.
On Oct. 26, 2021, a one-day homelessness enumeration was conducted. On this day, 150 adults and 11 children were experiencing homelessness; 53 per cent were experiencing chronic homelessness and nine per cent were staying in makeshift shelters, vehicles, or places not meant for human habitation.
The Muskoka By Name list will “give us a picture of what we’re doing, what resources we need, where the gaps are, and then the agencies that we need to be working more closely with,” said Mattice.
These partners include the OPP, Muskoka Victim Services, Habitat for Humanity, the Canadian Mental Health Association, and food banks.
“It’s important to recognize that it’s a community effort, and support from all levels of government is critical in terms of helping to increase that supply,” she said. “It’s really important to increase supply, even if it’s one unit at a time.”
Sarah Law – MuskokaRegion.com – Tuesday, June 7, 2022