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Red Deer District Chamber Task Force on Homelessness Release Final Report and Recommendations

The Red Deer District Chamber Task Force on Homelessness is proud to announce the release of its final report, which offers a strategic roadmap to tackle the multifaceted issue of housing and homelessness in the community.

“Over the past 10 months, the Task Force conducted comprehensive research, reviews of best practices, targeted interviews, and community conversations, which provided the Task Force with a clear understanding of the homelessness situation in Red Deer. The final report offers a series of recommendations that focus on systemic changes and collaborative efforts,” said Lyn Radford, Board Chair. “By prioritizing these recommendations and fostering collective action, together the community can work towards significant and lasting solutions to the complex issue of homelessness in Red Deer.”

“On behalf of the Red Deer District Chamber and our board, thank you to the Task Force who gave their time, treasure, and talent to bring forward a comprehensive, thoughtful, and bold report on how our community can enhance the work being done to support our most vulnerable citizens,” said Red Deer District Chamber CEO Scott Robinson. "The Red Deer District Chamber has a pivotal role to play in bringing together business stakeholders to foster a collective understanding of the economic ramifications of homelessness on our community.”

The recommendations presented in the final report are organized into four priorities, targeting specific aspects of homelessness mitigation:

  1. Priority 1 calls for the establishment of a not-for-profit foundation to effectively understand, educate, coordinate, and advocate on behalf of the community.
  2. Priority 2 highlights the urgency to close existing gaps in policies related to homelessness, addressing six key themes identified in the interim report.
  3. Priority 3 emphasizes partner-led advocacy, leveraging existing networks, such as the Alberta Chambers of Commerce and Canadian Chambers of Commerce, which represent like-minded chambers from across Canada, to advocate for policy changes at various levels of government.
  4. Priority 4 underscores the importance of community-led advocacy, recognizing that addressing homelessness requires collective efforts from stakeholders across the spectrum of our community.
"We recognize that systemic changes take time," said Radford, "The report emphasizes the need for sustained efforts and collaborative partnerships to foster meaningful change. Time and time again, Red Deerians rise to the cause, and we are confident that again, the community will band together to ignite a positive change.”

The final report may be viewed at: www.reddeerchamber.com/homeless-task-force/.

 

Red Deer District Chamber Task Force ...