GUELPH – On April 9, 45 women from Water Street Church and New Life CRC in Guelph were introduced to Indwell, a powerful initiative for wrap-around supportive and safe housing that is now filling the gaps in communities throughout Ontario.
Mark Willcock, Indwell’s community engagement coordinator in Waterloo Region, described Indwell’s vision as “the dignity of all people as God’s image-bearers, focus on creating housing as sustainable community, with hope and opportunities for life transformation.”
Willcock identified the housing crisis as one of the most pressing social issues in Ontario today. He described how churches such as Water Street and CRC can take responsibility and become involved in supportive housing that includes medical care, education, and help for the poor.
Judy Eising, Indwell’s director of community and donor engagement, joined Willcock to provide some background on the supportive housing projects that currently exist in Guelph.
In total, there are 72 units scattered throughout the city, clearly not nearly enough for the growing need in the city, officials stated.
The statistics for the County of Wellington and Guelph are sobering. At least 335 people are currently experiencing homelessness, this includes only those who have been identified by name. The needs are complex and challenging.
Accoring to officials, the average rent in a one-bedroom apartment in Guelph is $2,039. The basic housing allocation for someone who gets Ontario Disability Supports is $582.
Eising described Indwell’s development process leading up to their commitment to a project in a new community – an assessment of community social capital.
This comes well before any conversation about prospective buildings and properties. Indwell looks for four pillars.
First, they start with strong faith and community support.
Second, their projects need political leadership, the mayor, the city councillors – a significant challenge in Guelph.
Third, projects need to be connected to supportive municipal staff, the service managers that deal with Ontario Works, income support, childcare, homelessness prevention and community housing.
Finally, they look for good relationships with the Ministry of Health, local hospitals, local health teams, and other service sectors, because just a roof over someone’s head is not enough.
Eising outlined the complexities of working with two-tier municipalities like the County of Wellington and the City of Guelph.
But this can be overcome. She pointed to the success of the Region of Waterloo in providing funding for Indwell supportive housing in both Kitchener and for the Indwell project in Cambridge.
