By Chad Ingram

Published March 28 2019

The County of Haliburton and the City of Kawartha Lakes are on track to reach “functional zero” when it comes to chronic homelessness when it comes to the joint area of the two municipalities.

The City of Kawartha Lakes is the social services provider for Haliburton County and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness has announced that since August of 2018 there has been a 51 per cent reduction of chronically homeless people in the two communities. This accomplishment was recognized at a Built for Zero press conference in Toronto.

The number of people known to be chronically homeless dropped from 57 to 28 during that time period. Chronic homelessness is defined as being homeless for at least six months within the last year.

According to the alliance the county and the city are on pace to reach “functional zero” when it comes to chronic homelessness within the next year. “Functional zero” means that the county and city combined would have three or less people experiencing chronic homelessness for three consecutive months. The city is aiming to achieve this goal within the two municipalities by the end of 2020.

“The commitment and work around supporting the most vulnerable in our community is providing an opportunity to ensure that our resources are being used effectively to make a difference in the lives of those who would have otherwise fallen through the cracks of the system” Michelle Corley of the Housing Help Division of the City of Kawartha Lakes said in a release.

The county and city are part of the 20000 Homes Campaign which works to house vulnerable people across Canada and which since 2016 has helped to house more than 21200.