Tiny Homes Delegation at Woodstock City Council

Friday, 18 June 2021 13:28

Woodstock-Oxford Rotary Club has asked Woodstock City council for support as they look to build "Tiny Homes" to help support the local homeless population.

The Woodstock-Oxford Rotary Club came to Woodstock Council on Thursday to get support for their Tiny Homes project.

The Rotary Club wants to collaborate with the City of Woodstock, Oxford County and other services to identify a suitable location to build transitional housing units for individuals experiencing homelessness, where they can feel safe & secure and have a
sense of community, and where they can connect with existing services to improve their overall well-being.

No formal discussions have happened for a location and it is unclear right now, how many of these tiny homes would be built.

Council voted to offer support, and to have staff come back with a report on how Tiny Home initiatives have worked in other areas.

Mayor Trevor Birtch says the homeless situation is not unique to Woodstock and things are getting worse across the Province during the pandemic.

"The homelessness issue we are facing is caused by the affordability of rents right now and this is not just unique to Woodstock. This is not just about the homeless you see visibly in the downtown core, there is another face to homelessness in our community. This is people who have been evicted from their house, because it has been renovated and put up for sale in this hot housing market. These are people who are caught off guard and they have jobs and a family and as they look for a place to live, they haven't found long term accommodations yet."

Birtch notes the issue is very complex and involves many active pieces. He notes, the City can only do so much and they are working with the County.

"Woodstock is part of Oxford County and all of the Human Services are at the County level, here in the City, we are more about the sports facilities, snow clearing, garbage removal, the fire services, police services, libraries, museums and the art gallery to name a few. The County of Oxford is where we have our social workers, housing workers, all of the supports for employment and everything that is needed in this big endeavour to eradicate homelessness and take care of the most vulnerable in our City."