Struggling to come to grips with rural homelessness

Jeff Green | May 08, 2014

When the City of Kingston decided to embark on an ambitious one-year plan to eliminate chronic homelessness, Frontenac County Council wanted in on the plan.

Since the city delivers social services for itself and the county, and administers not-for profit housing supports in the county as well as the city, Frontenac County Council insisted on being included in the homelessness studies that the city took on last year.

John McDougall, a member of Frontenac County Council and its appointee on the Housing and Homelessness Committee that the City of Kingston has established, has been quick to point out that homelessness is also a rural issue, even if it takes a different form.

“You don't find people living under bridges in Frontenac County, and there are no homelessness shelters. But there are people who have been couch surfing for months and years, people living in barns, in unheated or inadequately heated buildings. This is the population that needs to be addressed in any homelessness strategy that covers both the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac,” he said at a meeting of Frontenac County Council last summer.

When the 10-year homelessness plan was released by the City of Kingston Housing department on October 30, 2013, it included a provision for a rural strategy.

Under the heading "Developing a Rural Strategy", the plan describes some of the difficulties faced in rural areas.

“While it is true that the vast majority of persons experiencing homelessness find themselves in urban or even suburban areas, evidence suggests that 7% to 9% of all homeless people live in rural areas. There is currently a paucity of research about rural homelessness. However, the available evidence suggests that rural homelessness has several distinct features that differentiate it from the more prevalent urban homelessness,” the report said.

Among those barriers are access to services due to distance; low public awareness because homelessness is seen as an urban issue; lack of funding; and low density, which makes providing services in a fixed location a poor service delivery option.

“A concerted effort to end homelessness in Frontenac County requires a dedicated effort to address all four of these barriers, all the while adhering to the other principles outlined in this plan, such as increasing housing options and improving housing stability,” said the report.

Last month, the implementation plan for the homelessness initiative was announced and it includes a rural strategy, as promised.

A Request For Information (RFI) document that was released includes separate components for youth, adult, and rural programs to help homeless individuals and families find permanent shelter.

The rural component will include funding for some financial supports as well as a coordinator to work with existing social service workers and others who can help identify those in need and the kinds of programs that will help them obtain secure housing.

The plan is to identify a service provider for the rural homelessness initiative by August and to have a program in place by the beginning of 2015. The rural provider will adhere to the same reporting requirements as those in the city but will deliver a service designed specifically for the Frontenac County population.