Our Place Society has conducted a survey of the unhoused folks living along Pandora Avenue in an effort to reduce the stigma surrounding them and the way they are forced to live.
According to Julian Daly, CEO of Our Place, things need to be different and people need to be a bit more forgiving of those sleeping rough along Pandora.
“It distresses me to see so many displaced people,” Daly said. “No one should be consigned to living on the pavement in our city.”
“It’s a crying shame. All people deserve so much better.”
He added that it is frustrating that he hears from a lot of people who believe Our Place is responsible for the condition of the 900-block of Pandora Avenue.
“Our Place is one of the charities that is actively trying to help,” Daly explained. “We did not create or enable the situation on Pandora, and we, as much as anyone, want to find a solution to it.
Daly says that he hopes to be able to secure housing for everyone who is currently camping along Pandora Avenue.
In an effort to achieve this lofty goal, the Our Place outreach team has been surveying those who are camping along the avenue to see what they need and what supports they might need in order to be housed and how they feel about their current situation.
“In surveying every person camped on Pandora, we didn’t find a single one who wanted to be left on the street,” said Daly.
“Each person told us they wanted housing, and what supports they needed to be successful once housed.”
The survey showed that increased and active supports for addiction and mental health are just as important as housing.
Some highlights of the survey were:
- 0% said they wanted to remain living on the streets
- 15% have struggled with homelessness for over 10 years
- 23% of individuals living on the block are female
- 23% of individuals are over the age of 50
- 39% of people are currently interested in accessing treatment programs
- 42% lost their housing more than 1 year ago
- 85% have untreated physical health conditions
- 95% are currently struggling with their mental health
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“There is no one-size-fits-all solution, instead, we have to tailor our supports to the individual,” he said.
Daly says he believes the problems on Pandora are solvable, but Our Place will need help in order to achieve their goals.
He says he would like to see the community come together in a more tangible way; especially local municipalities, police as well as provincial housing and health departments.
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