Homelessness consultant meets with stakeholders in Timmins
The Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CDSSAB) is working with a consultant who has extensive experience in addressing homelessness.
Iain De Jong, originally from Sault Ste. Marie, is in Timmins this week, meeting with Timmins Council and agencies that work with people who need a place to live.
“Every person who experiences homelessness in this community or others really only falls into one of three categories: they’re someone’s parent, someone’s child or someone’s sibling," said De Jong, president and CEO of Orgcode Consulting.
"It is our intention to work with the community to build upon that compassion and align it with what we know works to make sure we’re helping as many people as possible."
De Jong wants to end homelessness and said if people and organizations work together, chronic homelessness can be reduced and prevented.
"If we lose sight of the humanity, the numbers won’t really matter," said De Jong.
Last month, CDSSAB received $11.6 million to create a system that provides custom-based solutions that can identify need, be mobilized quickly and that is recovery-focused.
“When you think about prevention it’s not only thinking about preventing somebody who’s never been homeless or becoming homeless,” said Brian Marks, chief administrative officer for CDSSAB.
o Download our app to get local alerts on your device
o Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“It’s also about once someone gets housed, preventing them from going back to the shelter or back to the street and there are different strategies to be applied.”
De Jong will be making more visits to Timmins in the coming months to continue to guide agencies on their paths to helping people get and remain housed, including meeting people with lived experience.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.