Situation:
Homelessness is rising in Norfolk County.
How it impacts our people
As time goes by, they get carried further and further downstream into homelessness.
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If not supported in our community, individuals will continue to live outdoors longer, and have even greater difficulty returning to housing.
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We need to get to them before it gets to them.
Loss of relationships
Life on the street disconnects people from the friends and family who care for them.
Financial ruin
Becoming homeless ruins your finances; people often go into debt paying for motel rooms, damaging their credit and making it harder to escape homelessness.
Worsening mental health & trauma
Living on the street forces people into dangerous survival situations regularly, worsening mental health and putting them at risk of serious injury and trauma.
How it impacts our people
Solution: build a pilot Tiny Shelter Community + service hub
Tiny shelters, 100sqft each, would help currently-unsheltered people find safety and improve their health & wellness. Residents would have 24/7 access to a Hub with wrap-around supports.
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The goal is to provide stability within the community, and help unhoused people be supported through the next step of the housing system.
Phase II: affordable long-term housing
We know tiny homes alone aren’t a solution to the housing crisis.
With low rental vacancy, high rents, and fixed disability support payments, homelessness will continue to rise. This tiny cabin intervention can keep people safe, supported, and in their communities of origin while longer-term affordable housing is constructed.
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Once those units are built, the residents of the tiny home community will have already lived indoors, and acquired the skills to succeed and stay housed permanently.
