Red Deer Task Force on Homelessness formally launched

He doesn’t anticipate that meaning there’ll be many one-on-ones with people, but they will work with agencies, he says, to identify people who can speak to the big picture, helping the task force understand what the end user is experiencing.

In a release Robinson added that gaining this overall understanding will contribute to the overall well-being and livability of the community.

“As members of the business community, they (businesses) have a vested interest in understanding the homelessness situation to help enhance the economic viability of our community,” he says.

Currently, officials say, the task force is completing an environmental scan to understand the scope of the homelessness situation before engaging in consultations with the broader Red Deer community through a series of community consultations.

Community consultations are anticipated to launch in the fall, with an interim report of findings available in early 2024. A final report will be made public in the spring of 2024.

It was just a few days before the spring announcement that the City of Red Deer had revealed statistics from its 2022 Point in Time (PiT) Homeless Count.

The count shows 334 people experiencing homelessness, up alarmingly from the 144 counted in 2018.

Once scheduled, information on the community consultations will be shared publicly on reddeerchamber.com.

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Red Deer Task Force on Homelessness formally launched

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