Dear Mayor Boddy, Mr. Simmonds and members of Owen Sound City Council

As members of Rebound and as citizens of Owen Sound, we would like to thank all of you, the former Council and the new, for your hard work on behalf of our fine city. We are truly appreciative.

One of the most pressing issues that emerged during the election campaign is that too many of our residents are homeless.

The evidence of our homeless population living inside the riverside bandshell was just one of the many indicators that our community (like many communities) has a serious problem. As a caring city, this visible and far-reaching crisis cannot be ignored and in fact must be remedied humanely, with compassion and immediately before winter arrives.

One death of a vulnerable homeless neighbour is one death too many.

With regard to finding meaningful, immediate and in time, lasting solutions, might we have answers to the following questions:

• Where does the City plan to house our homeless before the winter months?
• Has the City mounted a homeless intervention plan? What is that plan and where can we view it?
• Is the City coordinating with Grey County, the United Way and the province? How, specifically?
• In lieu of a fulsome, long term plan, has Owen Sound made arrangements, this winter, for an ‘Out of the Cold’ program using local churches, community centers or other public facilities? Which ones? Where? How?
• Will the City offer vacant land to these residents where donated tents may be safely erected free from harassment?
• Will solutions to this growing crisis be on the agenda of the inaugural meeting of the new Council on November 21?

Homeless people in our city cannot wait for action until the new year. We urge the council to make immediate plans to solve this problem while simultaneously working on long term solutions as well.

Finally, how may we, as a group and as individuals, help the city to eradicate this problem in a humane and lasting way?

We eagerly await a response on the above.

Cordially,

Jan Chamberlain

Micheline N Mann

Michael Craig