The general manager of a homeless shelter in downtown Chatham says a proposal to have a new, larger shelter in the city is good news, but cautions that it won't solve the area's homelessness problem.
Chatham-Kent council is set to discuss the plan Monday night, which involves setting up a new shelter at the former Future Skills High School building at 185 Murray St. in Chatham with room for more than 50 individuals. That's an increase from the last proposal of 25-30 beds at Hope Haven on Wellington Street West.
Loree Bailey, General Manager of Hope Haven, said the new proposed shelter is good because it will provide more beds in the city, but she's cautioning that it won't get rid of homeless people in downtown Chatham because that is where the services they need are located.
"I wouldn't want people to think that this location being on Murray Street is going to decrease the number of people that they see in the downtown core experiencing homelessness because people are there even though there are shelter beds available for them right now at the Travelodge," said Bailey.
She is also pushing back against the negative stigma associated with homeless people, saying downtown crime can't all be put on their shoulders.
"We know that elevated crime and elevated evidence of drug use gets linked exclusively to people experiencing homelessness and we know that's not true," said Bailey.
Downtown businessman Andrew Thiel hopes the new proposal gets approved because he believes the extra beds and services will help the current homeless situation better than the previous plan.
"The homeless population gravitates towards downtown. We know there are some people that are going to come down and need those different services but the new location has room for 70 beds and has the other half of the building that can be expanded for support services," Thiel said.
In their report, municipal staff members also noted the municipality would work with residents in the neighbourhood to ensure a smooth transition if the new shelter is approved.
