SAULT STE. MARIE -- The Sault's fight against homelessness has been given a big boost thanks to a new tool.
Sault social services say they've noticed a decrease in chronic homelessness - defined as anyone who has experienced homelessness for up to six months or more - thanks to the establishment of a quality by-name list.
"It's able to pinpoint those individuals that are the greatest need," said Elysha Cuglietta, housing and homeless supervisor at social services.
"We can disperse the proper services to them to ensure they're receiving the proper supports and services they need."
Since partnering up with Built for Zero Canada in 2018, establishing the list has been a priority for social services.
The group is a national organization that aims to eradicate both chronic and veteran homelessness in communities across the country.
With the by-name list, the hope is to eventually reach a level of functionally zero homelessness in the city.
"We're never going to end homelessness," Cuglietta said.
"But we want it to be a brief experience for those individuals and for it to never occur again for them."
To create the list, social services relied heavily on its partners throughout the community.
That includes Pauline's Place, a shelter in the city.
"We need to focus on educating these people with life skills before we can truly end this problem," said Anne Penney, executive director at the shelter.
"They're going to be back, because they're not going to cook, they're not going to bank, I think that's a big part in what we're missing."
While addictions and rough upbringings can play a large part in how individuals end up on the street, Penney said it’s not the only factor.
With a lack of education, she said many will never be able to truly break the cycle of poverty.
She said affordable housing is also a massive issue in the city.
Despite the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) listing the Sault as one of the cheapest places to rent in Ontario, Penney said truly affordable housing is hard to come by.
"For one bedroom you're paying $800 or a one room, you're paying $700," she said. "It might be low but so is the wages here, so they won't be able to find anything."
The year-to-date average price per home in Sault Ste. Marie is $207,299, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association, while interest rates are at all time lows, hovering around 1.79%.
Over a 25 year amortization period, a 5-year fixed rate with a 5% down payment could cost around $1100 for a monthly mortgage payment.
That's not far off from the CMHC's assessment of $950 a month to rent a two-bedroom unit in the Sault.
"There's just not a lot out there for people to afford," Penney said.
"On top of that, with COVID, everything went up, rent went up, homes went up, but Ontario Works and ODSP did not."
Data from social services show a nearly 50% decrease in chronic homelessness in the Sault from September to October.
However, Cuglietta says COVID-19 has had an impact on its accuracy.
