THUNDER BAY – On Thursday September 11, 2014, the Thunder Bay Housing and Homelessness Coalition will host their final Community Town Hall Meeting focused on addressing homelessness in our community. This meeting is the last one in a series “Why Addressing Homelessness Matters” and will focus on Prosperity in our community.
In Canada, our current response relies heavily upon shelters for emergency housing and emergency and crisis services for health care, at an estimated cost of $7 billion each year. Discover how housing people can save taxpayers money, create jobs, increase productivity and improve quality of life and community functioning.
“In Thunder Bay, vacancy rates are declining, affordable housing is increasingly difficult to secure, and emergency shelters are routinely at capacity. It is clear that we are experiencing a housing crisis,” said Saku Pinta, Lakehead Social Planning Council and Thunder Bay and District Poverty Reduction Strategy Coordinator.
“Canadians pay a high price for homelessness and housing insecurity. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact the provision of proper housing, as opposed to the reliance on emergency shelters, is not only a cheaper but more humane alternative. It is our hope that this session will help to inform community members about the connections between housing and community prosperity.”
This session will provide opportunities for community members to learn about the issue of homelessness, ask questions and arm themselves with the ability to make informed decisions at election time.
Why Addressing Homelessness Matters: It’s About Prosperity is being held on Thursday September 11, 2014 from 7 pm – 8:30 pm at the Finlandia Club. The session is open to the public and is free to attend.
