City council approves $3.5M on 3 homelessness support approaches from task force

Edmonton city council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Jeremy Thompson/CTV News Edmonton)

Edmonton city council has approved spending $3.5 million on three homelessness approaches endorsed by a group tasked with coming up with ideas to address the issue.

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The proposals by the Community Mobilization Task Force on Housing and Homelessness, which was created by city council in May last year, included:

• retrofitting underused non-residential buildings for use by vulnerable people;
• creating a digital platform to guide tenants to suitable housing options, and;
• putting peer support workers in place to help tenants navigate several services.

The Edmonton Community Foundation, the Islamic Family and Social Services Association, and the Canadian Mental Health Association - Edmonton Region, respectively, will administer the programs with the funding.

The Community Mobilization Task Force, whose mandate is finished, had 16 members with an array of backgrounds and expertise, including current and former city politicians, developers, Indigenous community members and people who work in a range of social services.