Sudbury hires more people to help people find a place to live
Greater Sudbury is expanding its team of client navigators, who offer support and services to the city's most vulnerable.
With the number of those experiencing homelessness growing, there is concern from local support groups as the seasons change.
“We currently have 196 people on the by name list. That number had been increasing,” said Gail Spencer of the City of Greater Sudbury.
“Jan. 1, it was 168."
The city has added four more client navigators to its team for a total of seven, in hopes of preventing more people from experiencing homelessness.
Created during the COVID-19 pandemic when many services were closed, client navigators help individuals connect with proper resources.
"These client navigators are out in our community, working closely with our community partners, our shelters, our outreach teams,” Spencer said.
ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORT
“They also have the ability to help them complete forms to get their ID back, to apply for social housing, to work with landlords and that one-on-one support is very important."
The Elgin Street Mission, which offers support, services and meals to individuals experiencing homelessness, said more people are in need of help.
In August alone, the organization said the number of people coming in for a meal has grown.
"When we look at our numbers, we're up 1,000 meals for the month of August,” said Amanda Robichaud of the Elgin Street Mission.
“We've seen that increase before, but it’s usually during the start of the summer when people are visiting the city. For August to be 1,000 meals a month is a really big deal because we know fall is here and moving in and so is the winter."
Robichaud points to a lack of housing as a cause.
"There’s really nowhere for those who live on the margins to go,” she said.
- Download the CTV News app now and get local alerts on your device
- Get local breaking news and updates sent to your email inbox
“We see numerous tents popping up, different encampments popping up over the city and it’s really just a symptom of no housing."
Greater Sudbury said it will be adding four more client navigators to its team for a total of 11 by January 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

This Canadian couple used surrogacy to have a child. Here's what they want you to know
Families that need help conceiving a child are met with financial burdens that should be covered through government health care and insurance, advocates say.
Renowned Quebec entrepreneur, partner reported dead in Caribbean
Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his spouse Dominique Marchand have died in their adopted home of Dominica, in the Caribbean, a source has confirmed.
Fatal stabbing of German tourist by suspected radical puts sharp focus on Paris Olympics
A bloodstain by a bridge over the Seine river was the only remaining sign on Sunday of a fatal knife attack 12 hours earlier on a German tourist, allegedly carried out by a young man under watch for suspected Islamic radicalization.
Teen girls are being victimized by deepfake nudes. One family is pushing for more protections
A mother and her 14-year-old daughter are advocating for better protections for victims after AI-generated nude images of the teen and other female classmates were circulated at a high school in New Jersey.
Rare Maud Lewis paintings up for auction online, valued at $35,000
Three rare Maud Lewis paintings are up for auction online today, estimated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars each.
Israel orders more people in crowded southern Gaza to evacuate as heavy bombardment shifts there
Israel on Sunday ordered more evacuations in and around Gaza's second-largest city of Khan Younis, followed by heavy bombardment, as the military's offensive shifted to the southern half of the territory where Israeli officials assert that leaders of the Hamas militant group are hiding.
1 person is dead and 11 missing after a landslide and flash floods hit Indonesia's Sumatra island
Rescuers recovered the body of a man buried under tons of mud and rocks from flash floods and a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia's Sumatra island. Officials said Sunday that 11 people are still missing.
'Meta took a bad decision': Canada's heritage minister says about Online News Act fallout
Canada's heritage minister insists the federal government is still working to get Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta back to the bargaining table to negotiate a deal to compensate Canadian news organizations as part of the regulatory process for the controversial Online News Act.
Strong earthquake that sparked a tsunami warning leaves 1 dead amid widespread panic in Philippines
A powerful earthquake that shook the southern Philippines killed at least one villager and injured several others as thousands scrambled out of their homes in panic and jammed roads to higher grounds after a tsunami warning was issued, officials said Sunday.