Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Address the Issue Downstream - Move individuals out of shelter and into permanent
housing
• The final piece of the puzzle is to create a steady outflow from shelter into permanent
housing.
• We already have various programs in place that can be brought to bear including FRSP and
PSH. We need to ensure that these program are sufficiently funded to not only respond to
broader systemic issues with homelessness, but more acutely, to ensure that our shelters do
not become overpopulated during the pandemic.
• One of the silver linings of this public health emergency is that we have consistent access to
our sheltered population. This is an opportunity to engage these individuals with the various
and robust support services that our city has to offer.
• I would like to see our public health experts work with our social workers and case workers
to think of creative and safe ways for them to engage with individuals in shelter so that when
we do reopen, we are ready to better serve this population.
A Resilient Workforce
• We must ensure adequate counseling and supports to those working in all healthcare settings
including hospitals, clinics and home-based care
• We should fund and implement Direct Support Professionals legislation to assist in
recruitment and retention of workers. In the home-based workforce that serves people with
disabilities, we have already experienced a shortage of workers, and under the current
circumstances, there are fears that there will not be enough workers in home-based
care moving forward. Funding and implementing this legislation would help ensure the
supports our residents with disabilities need, now and in the future