Agencies in Greater Sudbury marked 20 years of the Homelessness Network on Friday, a partnership of five organizations that help people experiencing homelessness or housing instability. The partners didn’t want to call the event a ‘celebration,’ but after 20 years they did want to highlight their shared commitment to helping clients find and maintain housing. “We’ve estimated that the network has housed 1,000 people over its existence,” said Denis Constantineau, executive director of Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury, the lead agency for the network. “We have hard data for the last few years. We know it’s 778. We’ve estimated the numbers for the first years, but 1,000 people over the years.” Along with Centre de santé, the other partners are the Association des jeunes de la rue, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northeastern Ontario, the John Howard Society of Sudbury and the N’Swakamok Indigenous Friendship Centre. The City of Greater Sudbury provides funding and each agency brings expertise and knowledge of the community. Before her life in politics, Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas was executive director for Centre de santé. At the milestone anniversary, she told the story of how in 1999 a co-worker told her about homeless individuals living near the Elgin Street underpass. She said she was flabbergasted since it was January at the time. Gélinas said shortly after this realization she brought several local agencies together to discuss how they could work together to help the local homeless population. “Once we sat down and listened to each other, we realized that ‘Oh my God, look at what we could do if we worked together,” she told the audience. “It was like a turning moment.” The Homelessness Network was established in 2007. At that time, the outreach team provided 55 contacts per day. Statistics now estimate 166 connections per day by outreach workers. Outreach workers from the Association des jeunes de la rue distribute practical items like snacks, socks and blankets, building trust while connecting clients with supports and resources to find housing. But even after two decades, members of the network said homelessness remains a significant challenge in Sudbury. “It’s deeply affordable housing for people who are on very limited incomes and it’s supportive housing; not everyone can move into an apartment and do that successfully and stay housed,” Constantineau said. “A lot of people need supports post-housing.” During the event, Sudbury MPP Jamie West asked the audience what was still needed across the community. “We’ve gone from one winter to another winter and there’s been nothing in place. Nothing. And we’re having to do band-aid solutions. So maybe getting together and looking at as a city, as organizations, let’s find a solution this time, this winter,” one participant said. Constantineau said the Homelessness Network isn’t finished with its work. The partners told CTV News they will continue to help as many people as they can find housing stability and, more importantly, a place to call home.
