Svjetlana mlinarevic

Svjetlana Mlinarevic

Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune

July 5, 2017

 

The City of Grande Prairie’s five-year initiative to end homelessness is showing some success as numbers have dropped by almost a third in the second year of the program.

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Since 2009, the city has housed 1,070 people in its Housing First program. During the city’s first year of the initiative 210 people were sheltered followed by 147 in the second year.

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“Looking at our Point-In-Time Count, from 2014 to 2016, we saw 23% reduction in the number of people that were counted as homeless on the streets. Looking at data, looking at what the Point-In-Time Count shows us, and then looking at individuals that are being successfully housed, it’s pretty exciting that since 2009 there’s been 1,070 people that have been housed and out of that our (overall) retention rate is 80% (where those in the program remained in stable housing),” said Katherine Schmidt, homeless initiatives supervisor.

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The city’s Housing First program saw 42 graduates in its second year compared to 13 in 2015/16 followed with a 92% retention rate. Since 2009, 284 people have graduated out of the program.

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Housing First helps homeless people find long-term temporary housing as they work to get back on their feet and integrate into the community.

While some people graduate from the program and go on to live productive lives, others graduate and find they need longer term supports. Schmidt said the city is looking at finding a place where people can be sheltered long-term with those supports.

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“We’ve been looking at a model of having a permanent supportive housing project with 24 hour a day support...For about 15% of our population, they need to have 24 hour a day housing support in a building...,” she said. 

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In its proactive approach, the city is communicating with the homeless to learn about their experiences and what their needs are.

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Schmidt noted the city will have more public engagement through education and prevention regarding homelessness.

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One of the ways the city is looking to reach out to the public is through a community event on Friday at Teresa Sargent Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. where the homeless report’s findings will be shared and informal discussions can take place. A free barbecue lunch will also be provided.

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“This is not about having formal speeches and having a formal program. It’s about, here’s our successes, here’s what we’re doing, come out and find out more information about it, and join the whole community together collectively and really have those conversations about what we can all do end journey to ending homelessness,” said Schmidt.

 

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