Over 200 people attended a homeless awareness event on Friday which had the focus on engaging and celebrating. Homeless Initiatives Supervisor Katherine Sheppard says these types of events are about taking the stigma out of homeless and raising the awareness on ways to help around the community. She says there are many homeless initiatives in the City of Grande Prairie and they were highlighted at the event.
“Housing First as an intervention is about someone having the right to have a home without any preconditions”
Sheppard says it aims to support families or individuals to find their home first then offer support services. She adds that this is their first report card on a five year plan to rid of homelessness.
“One of the huge statistics for me is that last year 210 people were housed with 93 per cent of those maintaining their housing.”
She explains that events like these are about education and conversation.