Bruce County recently unveiled a new Homelessness and Encampment Response Protocol, to better respond to those experiencing homelessness in the area.
Warden Luke Charbonneau says that one of the main goals of the protocol is ensuring that all the local agencies responsible for aiding those experiencing homelessness are able to quickly and efficiently work together.
"We identified a need to make sure that all those agencies have the resources and the tools they need to work together well. So understanding what each other are doing and the services that everybody else in the space are providing and then coordinating those services," Charbonneau explained.
Charbonneau adds that the county wanted to have a coordinated approach to helping those experiencing homelessness in partnership with agencies like the United Way and YMCA Rural Housing and Homelessness Outreach, as examples. He says if an encampment appears somewhere in the area, the first step is to make contact with the people living in it, and then start laying out the groundwork to help them.
"There's an opportunity there for whatever agency it is that first makes contact with those folks to open the door to all the other agencies and services that are available," Charbonneau added.
Ultimately, Charbonneau says this protocol is meant to help those who need it most in a more efficient way, especially when it comes to encampments. He says after making contact, they want to do right by those who are experiencing homelessness and get them on the path to something better.
"In the best way possible and the most sensitive way possible, and in a way that works best for the community, we want to move those folks out of that situation into a housing situation that is more stable and long-term and ultimately, better for them," he said.
You can find out more about the new protocol and local Bruce County homelessness resources here: https://www.brucecounty.on.ca/housing-and-homelessness-support
