On Thursday 11 May starting at 7 pm at Christ Church in Dartmouth, a panel from community organizations serving people who are homeless will present the concept of Housing First and how their organizations are working to end homelessness. The panel will include:
Ty Silver, the Housing First Manager with the North End Community Health Centre, HRM.
Leigh MacLean, Team Lead, Housing Support and Community Outreach, Welcome Housing, HRM and Alison Coldwell, Coordinated Access Manager, Canadian Mental Health Association's Project H.O.P.E. serving Kings, Annapolis and Digby Counties.
The Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia (AHANS) estimates there are 901 persons in HRM who are actively homeless as of April 18, 2023. Christ Church has provided space for a provincially sponsored men's shelter during the winter of 2022-2023, provides a weekly Food Bank with a growing number of households using it and a site for a Community Fridge all of which serve those who are homeless and those who struggle to make ends meet. The panel will educate the congregation and the surrounding Downtown Dartmouth community on the work of these community based organizations and why Housing First is needed to end homelessness and maintain sustainable housing for some of the most vulnerable persons in the community.
The forum will be held in the church at 55 Wentworth Street in Dartmouth.