Guelph, Ont., February 27, 2023 – The Council-endorsed Strategic Advisory Team on downtown is discovering how to assistance Guelph’s most vulnerable as a result of a coordinated advocacy approach aimed at higher concentrations of federal government.

To support the advocacy perform, the City is endeavor a gap assessment for homelessness, addiction and mental well being companies in Guelph. The analysis will take into account investments and outputs of all a few stages of government—municipal provincial, and federal—as well as non-for-profit and other aid businesses. The effects could help suggestions as element of Guelph’s multi-yr budget and advise lengthy-expression procedure transformation operate essential to address wellness and housing requires.

Community fundraising to handle homelessness is ongoing as aspect of the Property for Excellent Marketing campaign. The marketing campaign aims to cut down the quantity of people today going through chronic homelessness by 50 for each cent, total a few tasks that lead 72 supportive housing models in Guelph, and build a fund to keep on locating progressive alternatives. The advisory team encourages people to take into consideration donating.

Mayor Cam Guthrie states, “We are in the midst of a housing disaster. This is an urgent scenario that calls for coordination from all levels of government, as properly as our corporation partners location-broad and our total neighborhood. The City of Guelph and Wellington County proceed to concentrate on new housing provide, but we require fiscal help to produce lasting housing speedier.”

Shakiba Shayani, Main Government Officer (CEO) of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of the advisory group, adds, “Homelessness, is a intricate situation, requiring short-term solutions to meet up with urgent wants as properly as system-amount transformation for prolonged-time period achievements. Housing, psychological well being and dependancy requires in our neighborhood have developed exponentially over the final few decades and we count on these to enhance. This is a major second for collaborative cross-sectoral and govt intervention.”

About the Strategic Advisory Group on Downtown Guelph

Co-chaired by Mayor Cam Guthrie and Guelph Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Shakiba Shayani co-chair the Strategic Advisory Team on Downtown Guelph Challenges perform as a subcommittee of the Mayor’s Job Force on Homelessness and Neighborhood Security, with a focus on downtown Guelph. The advisory team consists of Guelph’s Member of Parliament Lloyd Longfield, Member of Provincial Parliament Mike Schreiner, Guelph Law enforcement Companies, workers of front-line services organizations, and employees from the Town of Guelph and County of Wellington.

Media contacts

Mayor Cam Guthrie
City of Guelph
[email protected]
519-837-5643

Shakiba Shayani
President and CEO, Chamber of Commerce
[email protected] 
519-822-8081 extension 2