A new report by the United Way suggests the number one issue in Chatham-Kent (CK) continues to be housing.
The Voices of Chatham-Kent: Shaping Our Community’s Future Together report was released on Monday.
It detailed the current challenges and future goals of around 600 people who either took part in an online survey or an in-person interview.
Lorraine Goddard, CEO of the United Way/Centraides Windsor-Essex Chatham-Kent, told CK News Today, when it comes to housing, the biggest issue on many people's minds is the number of people living on the streets.
"This has become very visible in the Chatham-Kent community. People are having a difficult time recognizing that the [municipality] has this big urban city problem," she said.
Affordability was also a key issue brought up by many. Goddard noted they heard from many who expressed their frustration with higher costs when wages stay the same.
Other issues that were mentioned include mental health and addiction supports and access to healthcare. The report notes that about 73 per cent of respondents had concerns with these two issues. Around 60 per cent said wait times remain a major barrier, 48 per cent said they didn't know where to go, and roughly 40 per cent had issues with the costs.
Goddard said that one thing in the report that surprised her was the number of people who claimed they wanted long-term solutions over short-term solutions.
"People used words like putting Band-Aids on something, and what we need is to really kind of get surgical and get in there and repair it," she added.
The next step for the United Way is to create what Goddard calls a "vision" for CK. She explained that the data collected from the report will help them understand what kind of support the municipality wants from the organization.
"We really want, as a United Way, to have measurable change. Having a good impact, having the data to show that the dollars we're putting in are a good return on investment for donors," said Goddard.
People can review the full report on the United Way's website.