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Whitby Homeless Coalition describes rising need, limited housing resources
Summary
The Whitby Homeless Coalition told council its House of Hope shelter serves four families and the Haven serves up to 30 people nightly; the director reported an increase in families and seniors and highlighted barriers including long wait lists for subsidized housing and delays for health and behavioral‑health assessments.
Tanya Stager Grama, executive director of the Whitby Homeless Coalition, briefed council on local shelter operations and needs, including two shelter programs: the House of Hope, which provides case‑managed placements for up to four families, and the Haven, a low‑barrier emergency shelter serving up to 30 people per night. She said the city’s shelters are consistently full and that the coalition has seen a rise in families and seniors seeking support.
“We serve 4 families at a time there. We take them from literal homelessness and work through case management to help place them in permanent housing,” Stager Grama said, describing program capacity and services. She noted long wait times for subsidized housing (Section 8) and COPES assessments — assessments used to coordinate services — and urged council to prioritize workforce housing and increased access to medical and behavioral‑health resources to stabilize clients after shelter exit.
Councilors thanked coalition staff and asked for demographic snapshots and coordination with county housing liaisons; staff and speakers agreed to share written statistics and resources for follow‑up.
