The Cowichan Housing Association is looking to reinvigorate the Cowichan Coalition to End Homelessness.
Shelley Cook, executive director of the CHA, is seeking letters of support from local governments and other organizations to access funding from a provincial Community Gaming Grant in its efforts to hire a new coordinator for the CCEH.
The CCEH was formed in 2017 by multiple partners, including the CHA and United Way, to work to increase affordable housing options and to reduce homelessness in the Cowichan region through research, community development, homelessness-prevention programming, and facilitating affordable housing development.
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Cook said that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCEH was well established in the Cowichan Valley and consisted of local government representatives, businesses, non-profit/charitable social and health services, Island Health, peers, and other groups.
“Out of necessity, the work of the coalition shifted during the pandemic to addressing the immediate health and safety needs of the unsheltered population,” Cook said in a letter to the Cowichan Valley Regional District.
“Owing to several changes occurring through the pandemic, including massive turnover in personnel within key community organizations and other essential roles…the work of the coalition eventually ceased.”
Cook said the CHA has been able to reinstate the CCEH coordinator role with external funding, and through the position, reinvigorate the work of the coalition.
However, she said the funding that supports it is time limited.
“We need this work to continue uninterrupted to facilitate the higher-level coordination and collaboration required to respond to the challenges we’re facing as a region,” Cook said.
Cook said the coordinator position is also integral to meeting the requirements of the Reaching Home – Federal Homelessness Strategy.
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The strategy is a federal community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness that provides direct funding to designated communities, as well as to Indigenous and rural and remote communities across Canada, to support their efforts in addressing local needs and developing local solutions to homelessness.
Reaching Home is designed to support the goals of the National Housing Strategy; in particular, to support the most vulnerable Canadians in maintaining safe, stable and affordable housing and to reduce chronic homelessness nationally by 50 per cent by 2028.
“The CCEH coordinator position is integral to success of this initiative,” Cook said.
“The CHA’s continued leadership in responding to issues of homelessness in the Cowichan region is aligned with our service expectations. On behalf of the Cowichan region, the CHA is applying for a Community Gaming Grant to support this integral community service. It is our intention to continuously apply to this same fund each year after to ensure this essential regional function can continue.”
Aaron Stone, chair of the CVRD, said at the committee of the whole meeting on Oct. 11 that the committee can refer the request for a letter of support to staff for a report on the issue.
“But it is worthy of support so I move we provide the letter,” he said.
The CVRD directors voted unanimously to provide a letter of support to the CHA in its efforts to attain gaming funding for the coordinator position.
