MINUTES — PUBLIC — Gatineau, Healthy City Commission — 1st meeting 2024 — January 25, 2024 — 9:01 a.m. to 11:08 a.m.
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Statutory Item: Homelessness File Update / Renewal Process for the Social Development and Homelessness Action Plan
The update on the homelessness file focuses primarily on the monitoring of winter measures.
The Halte-Chaleur (warming center) installed in the aréna Robert-Guertin parking lot is being operated exceptionally by the CISSSO in 2023-2024. The Motel Montcalm offers about forty beds, and parc Sanscartier has a Halte-Chaleur with about a dozen beds. Added to this are the spaces at the Devcore encampment and the Gîte Ami. Excellent collaboration exists between stakeholders. Coordination and monitoring of users help avoid duplication in bed management. Beds are available for the night only. A contingency plan was in place during the recent extreme cold period; the total number of beds is adequate. A group of about twenty people does not wish to use the services. An analysis is underway with the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau regarding measures that can be implemented to intervene with these individuals, who are often dangerous and violent.
Process for developing the new integrated action plan for social development and homelessness
The PowerPoint document Proposition d’inclure au Sommet en itinérance le processus d’élaboration du nouveau Plan d’action intégré en développement social et en itinérance 2025-2028 (Proposal to include the development process of the new 2025-2028 Integrated Social Development and Homelessness Action Plan in the Homelessness Summit) is presented. Members received the document at the beginning of the meeting.
The objectives of the presentation are:
- To present the renewal process for the social development and homelessness action plans;
- To propose a provisional schedule for the Summit that fits into the renewal process for these action plans;
- To present the next steps;
- To obtain a recommendation regarding the establishment of a working committee to support the organization of the Homelessness Summit.
The presentation is broken down into the following sub-themes:
- Context setting;
- Presentation objectives;
- Process steps;
- Synthesis of the development process;
- Detailed process steps and deliverables;
- Proposed provisional schedule for the Summit on development and homelessness;
- Next steps.
A brief history highlights the one-year extension granted by the municipal council in 2023 to complete various elements of the two action plans. Many similarities exist both in terms of the renewal processes and the action plans themselves. These also involve similar stakeholders.
It is suggested that the renewal process for these two action plans lead to the development of a single action plan combining two axes: a homelessness axis and a social development axis.
The renewal process for the action plans includes the following elements: assessments; current status of social development and homelessness; analysis of best practices; identification of needs and priorities; population survey; development and validation of a new action plan; appropriation; evaluation and monitoring.
The Service des loisirs, des sports et du développement des communautés (SLSDC) has a budget of $150,000 for holding a Summit on social development and homelessness. Holding this summit, planned for around April 17 and 18, will allow for the gathering of actors and stakeholders to collectively contribute to the development of the next integrated action plan.
A scenario proposes a two-part program: one day on homelessness and the other on social development. This schedule is an example. Everything is yet to be built. A small working committee composed of members from the Commission Gatineau, Ville en santé will play an advisory role in establishing the program.
Summary of comments, questions, or answers formulated following the presentation regarding, among other things:
- A question was asked whether the Government of Quebec will be among the partners associated with holding the Summit. This homelessness summit will highlight the work done by the City and its partners. The contribution of the provincial government will be part of the reflections;
- Thanks are addressed to the people who agreed to be part of the working committee.
It is proposed to adopt the following recommendation:
CONSIDERING THAT the municipal council has mandated the Service des loisirs, des sports et du développement des communautés to proceed with the renewal process for the Service's policies; CONSIDERING the need to renew the homelessness and social development action plans and that these address the same issues; CONSIDERING the need to ensure the complementarity and coherence of actions in these two action plans; CONSIDERING the importance of consulting and mobilizing stakeholders for the Summit on social development and homelessness, scheduled for April 2024; CONSIDERING THAT the participation of local actors in the working committee is essential in order to plan a Summit that meets the expectations of the community:
CGVS-2024-01 The Commission Gatineau, Ville en santé, during its ordinary session of January 25, 2024, recommends to the municipal council:
- to set up a working committee to support the organization of the Summit on social development and homelessness, scheduled for April 2024, and to include it in the development process of the 2025-2028 integrated action plan on social development and homelessness.
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Continuation of the Reflection Activity for the Development of the 2024-2025 Work Plan for the Commission Gatineau, Ville en santé and Adoption of the Work Plan
A reminder of the process undertaken in December 2023 is provided. The objective is to agree on and adopt a realistic work plan that the Commission can carry out. A proposal is submitted on the spot. It consists of three files and three objectives:
| Files | Objectives |
|---|---|
| Quality of life of citizens | Guide major municipal and community partner actions to improve the quality of life of citizens by acting on environments favorable to healthy lifestyles and community development. |
| Fight against social inequalities | Contribute together to reflections and projects reducing social inequalities to promote social justice and fight against poverty. |
| Equity and universal accessibility | Act as a leader to promote equity and universal accessibility to municipal services and infrastructure. |
As this is a two-year work plan, it will be possible to add elements along the way or modify it.
Summary of comments, questions, or answers formulated following the presentation regarding, among other things:
- The activities suggested in community development do not overlap with those carried out at the Commission des loisirs, des sports et du développement des communautés. It is proposed to work on this in a broader sense;
- Receiving the document on the spot certainly allows for more speed in terms of reflection, but members would have liked to have the plan before the meeting to read it thoroughly and facilitate modifications;
- It is not clear how the Commission would contribute to projects reducing social inequalities. It is pointed out that by being less specific, the proposed wording offers more latitude to allow for the addition of other elements or initiatives;
- In order to clearly understand what the deliverables attached to the work plan will be, it is proposed to annex an annual planning of the various subjects that will be addressed during the year;
- It is requested to clarify the meaning of the word "equity" and what it refers to. A glossary will be added to the work plan.
Members agree on the following amendments to the proposed version of the work plan:
- Feminize the statements in the "Quality of life of citizens" file;
- Add a glossary.
CGVS-2024-02 The Commission Gatineau, Ville en santé, during its ordinary session of January 25, 2024, recommends to the municipal council:
- to adopt the 2024-2025 work plan of the Commission Gatineau, Ville en santé as amended.