The City of Niagara Falls working on pilot program
A success story from the City of Niagara Falls in helping people on social assistance find work, some with the city, and avoid homelessness.
Chief Administrative Officer Jason Burgess explained the Level Up program to the Niagara Region's public health committee, which he says is costly, but worth it.
He says they put candidates through a screening program. "It was more of the hidden issues that you can't see off a resume. They're single parents with child care issues, how do you deal with that, they may have some transportation problems, as they might not be able to afford a car."
He says spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on cleaning homeless camps is not working.
He'll be talking to other Niagara cities, about helping one person at a time. "They need to be flexible, to deal with some of the uniqueness of hiring that individual, and they need to work well with the region, to do some wrap around supports, especially at the beginning, when they're transitioning into it. Straightening out the day care, and the scheduling."
He asked his staff to come up with ideas to address and prevent homelessness.
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