The Wellington-Guelph Health and Housing Community Planning Table is looking at ways to better align and integrate health and housing services in Guelph and the surrounding area.
The Planning Table, established last May, released a one-year update following a series of health and housing symposiums, hosted by the County of Wellington’s Social Services Department.
The Planning Table team is comprised of various partners from the health and housing sectors and co-chaired by the Social Services department and the Guelph Wellington Ontario Health Team. It aims to “tackle complex issues such as homelessness, precarious housing, and gaps in access to basic needs and mental health services,” according to a press release on the Wellington County website.
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In an email to Global News, Luisa Artuso, social services administrator of Wellington County, said 19 outreach services across Wellington-Guelph had 27 positions titled “Outreach” in the job descriptions, which was higher than expected.
Since the Planning Table was endorsed, Artuso said multiple meetings have been held with leadership and frontline staff to advance co-ordinated outreach efforts, including a frontline training session.
She said the initiative is mapping health and housing services in three key areas, including prevention and emergency responses. Through the process, the table will identify gaps in health and housing service systems and promote better integration of the two systems.
As part of the community planning process, formal community consultation will occur this year. Webinars will be open to the public as well.
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