Human Resources committee  Do you mean transitional housing as related to generational poverty?

Human Resources committee  I think that's going to be different, based on the person you're interacting with. There will be broad strokes where, if employment is a reasonable goal for a person, what is preventing employment from happening? Is that something like a criminal record check needing to be done, or is it that there is no bus service?

Human Resources committee  The number one issue, from my perspective of fundraising, is the time investment. I put out six grant proposals in January. Every second that I'm doing one of those, I'm not with one of my guys assisting him to get through whatever barrier he has at that moment. The guys have a wide range of needs.

Human Resources committee  We're starting to work on those types of things now, but not necessarily specifics. I've been meeting with mental health, and we're trying to figure out ways for guys at the shelter who need that sort of health care to get those services, or how to get the services to them. We're two blocks away from some mental health care, but a lot can happen in those two blocks.

Human Resources committee  One of the things that recently happened, I guess, in the old north end in the last two years or so is that we lost our middle school through the school closure process. The numbers weren't high enough. It's been ONE Change's position that a neighbourhood needs a school. We're working at how to address educational issues and how that gap is there, but our programming isn't focused exclusively on youth.

Human Resources committee  Tony.

Human Resources committee  Good morning. Thank you to the chair and to the rest of the committee for the invitation to speak today, and to the rest of the presenters this morning. I want to focus my remarks on the need for safe and affordable housing, particularly how it relates to neighbourhood-based poverty reduction, which I would look at as an essential piece to any poverty reduction strategy.