Report will consider ways to enhance Brantford’s emergency shelter services

City of Brantford staff will look into the feasibility of providing enhanced emergency shelter services for the homeless.

Councilors unanimously backed a motion by Coun. Mandy Samwell at a committee meeting on Tuesday calling for investigation into “additional services that support clients and neighbourhoods,” including medical supports, improved access to public washrooms, peer support, and warming and cooling centres.

“As we all know, it’s important to take care of all those seeking shelter and the surrounding neighbourhoods,” said Samwell. “I’m sure enhancing the shelter system is a priority for all councilors.”

The city works with a number of local organizations supporting those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Emergency beds are available at Nova Vita, St. Leonard’s, the Salvation Army and Rosewood House.

Samwell’s motion calls for city staff to look at services offered in other cities and provide a report to the city’s social services committee in June. The report will include costs and “the process to incorporate these services into future service contracts with emergency shelter providers, including accountability measures, such as customer service standards and annual service reviews.”

“The situation is real and it isn’t going to go away,” said Coun. Gino Caputo. “We need to look at opportunities that are really going to help people.”

count. Richard Carpenter said the city “needs to support clients and neighborhoods are a really important part of this process.”

“We’re hearing these concerns from neighbours,” he said. “I know Ward 5 has a lot of this issue. Ward 4 does, as well. I don’t think there’s a ward in the city that doesn’t.”

Brantford-Brant recently received an additional $1.8 million from the province to help people who are experiencing or at risk of being homeless. That brings the total amount of provincial funding provided to the area to just over $7 million.

Mayor Kevin Davis said the housing supply crisis and the rising cost of housing is increasing the number of people in Brantford who are homeless.

Mary Musson, the city’s director of housing and homelessness, said a “point in time” count being done on April 26 will help determine how many people in the community are homeless or at risk of being homeless.

Volunteers will be collecting data and surveying those who are homeless to better understand current needs.

The data collection is part of an event called Registry Week: Coming Together, which will be held from 9 am to 5 pm on the lower level at 1 Market Square. A range of free services will be offered to those who are homeless or at risk of becoming so, including a hot lunch, food and clothing, an identification clinic, housing application support, harm reduction services, haircuts, foot care, and social programming.