The City of Prince George has found internal efficiencies in order to retain two outreach coordinators who work with the city's unsheltered homeless population, after receiving substantially less funding from the provincial and federal government this year to address social issues.
The City of Prince George received $624,980 in funding for 2022-23 from the federal and provincial Strengthening Communities’ Services Program, down from $1.9 million the city received the previous year. The grant program was created in 2021, as part of the federal and provincial government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to “support unsheltered homeless populations and address related community impacts,” according to a report which went before city council on Monday night.
The city used a portion of that grant to hire two outreach coordinators last year, city senior manager of civic initiatives and partnerships Chris Bone told council. In order to retain those positions, the city has reallocated $138,000 of city funding previously used to maintain two storage service sites, Bone explained.
“To date, $236,000 has been allocated annually to operate two storage service sites for the unsheltered homeless. Together the two sites offered a total of 102 storage bins,” the report to council says. “A recent relocation and renovation has enabled one site to grow its capacity from 66 storage bins to 100. The renovation also enabled the addition of washrooms, showers, a large drop-in space, laundry services, computer access, and private client meeting space (with necessary surveillance to ensure safety) for onsite support staff, itinerant mental health workers, and the City’s Outreach Coordinators.”
The expansion of one site has allowed the city to close the other and reallocate the funding to retain the outreach coordinators, Bone explained.
“It was always our goal to provide a one-stop service centre for the unsheltered homeless,” Bone said.
The city also repurposed the old lockers from the Four Seasons Leisure Pool, before it was demolished, and donated them to two non-profit groups providing storage services to the unsheltered homeless, she added.
The goal of providing storage services is to allow unsheltered homeless people to safely store their belongings while they access shelter, Bone said.
“(But) for a portion of the unsheltered homeless, that isn’t a solution,” she said.
‘SO THEY DID DOWNLOAD ONTO THE MUNICIPALITY’
The city’s outreach coordinators work with city bylaw services, Northern Health, the provincial government and non-profit social service providers to connect the unsheltered homeless with support services, according to a report to city council. The outreach coordinators work six days a week, and a key part of managing homelessness and the associated impacts on the community.
“So they did download onto the municipality. Those outreach workers are provincial work we were supporting with their funds, but we are now funding with our funds,” Coun. Kyle Sampson said. “Great work on finding the pivot and retaining the service level.”
The $624,980 grant received by the city was the maximum amount available to the city, based on population, and will be used to fund a number of initiatives this year, the report to city council said.
The funding will be used to provide secure access to the Canfor Leisure Pool, install new needle drop boxes in a number of locations, providing security in areas where the unsheltered homeless are seeking temporary shelter, providing training for bylaw and outreach staff, enhancing the capacity of the city to work with urban Indigenous service providers, and “shifting the perception of downtown safety and cleanliness through communication and engagement.”
Coun. Brian Skakun said he’s concerned that the city is taking on additional costs, but the provincial and federal funding won’t be available in the long-term.
“It would be so hard to provide these services… and take them away at some point,” he said. “A lot of this isn’t our responsibility.”
