BY TRACEY DUGUAY
Calling the large number of homeless people a ?casualty? of Mike Harris? Common Sense Revolution, Ward 2 Councillor Claude Berthiaume agreed city council needs to help out community agencies at risk of losing their funding.
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GASPARINI |
About 80 people showed up at the priorities meeting of city council Wednesday night to show their support for these agencies and the people they help.
The funding for 11 agencies serving the homeless community in Greater Sudbury runs out at the end of December.
Council unanimously voted in favour of a resolution to request the federal government continue to support homeless initiatives, and for the provincial government to ante up more money to increase its portion of funding for emergency shelter beds.
The resolution also calls for municipalities to develop, in conjunction with the federal and provincial governments, a strategy to prevent homelessness.
Council will also work with the community in their efforts to ?attain long-term sustainability? for programs that serve the homeless or at-risk populations.
A Community Solutions Team will be created to review the funding crisis and to prioritize services and supports for the homeless. The team will present their findings and recommendations to council at the end of October.
Council will also explore ways to help provide bridge financing for these groups in case the federal government doesn?t come through with funding that is expected to be announced in the next few days, or to carry them over if any announced funding doesn?t arrive in time.
?Even if the federal funding is announced tomorrow, the money won?t be here for December,? said Ward 6 Councillor Janet Gasparini. ?We should be ready to provide funding.?
Gasparini is also the executive director of the Social Planning Council, an organization involved in finding a solution for the current funding crisis.
The Downtown Sudbury business association board, has offered to provide $25,000 in funding for these agencies.
Gasparini is hoping more local boards and organizations step up to help out. She?s already approached fundraising wizard Gerry Lougheed Jr. for suggestions and ideas.
Ward 3 Councillor Andre Rivest said as a Canadian it bothered him that there should be such an issue of homelessness in this community, or any Canadian community.
He added that given the fact the federal government is cashing in on gas taxes, the amount needed to fund homeless initiatives is just ?petty cash? for it.
