Region of Durham honours National Housing Day on November 22

Whitby, Ontario – Every person deserves a roof over their head. In honour of National Housing Day on November 22, The Regional Municipality of Durham remains committed to the health and safety of unsheltered residents, and reaffirms its commitment to improve access to –and retention of–housing to help end chronic homelessness in Durham Region.

As winter quickly approaches, Durham Region is prepared with a Cold Weather Response Protocol. This protocol is put into action when temperatures are expected to drop below 15 degrees or severe weather conditions are anticipated for the next 24 to 36 hours. Emergency shelters may expand their services and the Homelessness Support System will alert unsheltered residents of extreme cold weather and help them take appropriate precautions.

Housing and homelessness services in Durham Region are continuously adapting during the pandemic. To ensure physical distancing measures are maintained, housing-focused shelter programs–including Cornerstone Community Association Durham and Muslim Welfare Centre–are using hotel spaces to maintain and/or expand capacity for unsheltered clients; and Christian Faith Outreach Centre (CFOC) is providing an additional 20 spaces. The goal of housing-focused shelter programs is to help obtain permanent housing, which reduces the number of unsheltered residents.

To help prevent chronic homelessness, Durham Youth Services (DYS) offers prevention-based programming because youth who stay in a shelter, even just for one day, are more likely to become chronically homeless. In the past six months, DYS successfully diverted 45 per cent of youth to alternative housing arrangements.

The Regional Municipality of Durham is committed to the goal of ending homelessness, as per At Home in Durham, the Durham Housing Plan 2014-2024. This plan prioritizes developing long-term innovative approaches to improve access to–and retention of–housing, because everyone deserves a place to call home.

For more information about emergency shelter programs in Durham Region, visit durham.ca/EmergencyShelters.

Quotes

“On National Housing Day, I would like to reaffirm our commitment to ending chronic homelessness in Durham Region. The COVID-19 crisis has created many additional challenges for unsheltered residents, and we will continue to adapt to ensure programming continues while maintaining COVID-19 safety measures. Winter weather is approaching, and we are prepared to help keep our vulnerable population safe. No one should go to bed without a roof over their head.” 

- John Henry, Regional Chair and CEO, Region of Durham

 “Our housing and homelessness service providers across Durham Region do incredible work every day to support those in need in our community. On National Housing Day, we thank them for their adaptability, dedication and planning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to work to implement new and innovative initiatives to secure more permanent housing options and end homelessness in Durham.”

- Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou, Commissioner of Social Services

Quick Facts

• In Durham Region, 28 per cent of those who experience periods of homelessness are youth (Durham 2018 PIT Count Report – Measuring the scope and nature of homelessness in Durham). 
• Durham Region is a part of Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness’s Built for Zero Canada program—a nation-wide effort that helps communities end chronic homelessness. Through the collection of real-time data, the Region and its service providers can better address homelessness in Durham.
• Through this work, the Region has created a list of 52 people experiencing chronic homelessness in Durham, which is called a Quality By-Name List. This information will provide access to concrete data from September 2020 onward to track milestones through Built for Zero Canada.

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For more information, please contact Corporate Communications.