Chilliwack (Media Release) – On Tuesday, March 1, 2016, Council received the draft Chilliwack Homelessness Action Plan Background Report, which was prepared under the guidance of a specially appointed task force, with input from numerous local service providers.
Consultation has been an integral part of the planning process and will continue to be an important component of the development plan moving forward. Task force participants included members of the Chilliwack Healthier Community Housing First Task Team, as well as individuals and organizations from a variety of social service organizations. A strategic planning session was hosted in December 2015 with interested housing and service providers through the Chilliwack Healthier Community network to talk about the development of the plan, and provide input on potential strategies for addressing housing and support needs to prevent homelessness in Chilliwack. A total of 37 people representing 23 agencies and organizations participated in that session.
Additional public engagement will take place on March 29 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm at Evergreen Hall (9291 Corbould Street). Those interested in participating can view the Background Report online at chilliwack.com/homelessness. The staff presentation to Council on March 1 can be viewed online for up to four weeks at chilliwack.com/councilvideoarchive/.
“Homelessness is affecting people all across Canada and is bigger than one municipality alone. Creating a plan to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be housed requires the participation and support of the community,” said Mayor Sharon Gaetz. “Our task force has a wide range of participants from a variety of social service organizations whose contributions have been invaluable. Now the team is ready to engage even more members of the community and we hope a diverse group of people will participate on March 29.”
For more information, please contact Karen Stanton, Manager of Long Range Planning at 604.793.2906
