The Red Deer District Chamber will host a community consultation following the completion of its Homelessness Task Force Report.
The meeting, set for June 11 at the Golden Circle, will include speakers Lynn Radford, Chair of the Homelessness Foundation Transition Committee, Martin Thomsen, Homelessness Task Force Board Member, as well as Patricia Jones, CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation and Robyn Cochrane, Executive Director for Housing and Homelessness Supports/ Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services.
The event is from 8 a.m. to noon.
“This will be an engaging session focused on creating a community-led approach to homelessness and housing solutions," said Red Deer District Chamber CEO Scott Robinson.
"We have gathered top experts to share insights and strategies, including lessons learned from other communities, data-driven methodologies, and key intergovernmental considerations. We are excited to have such high-calibre guest speakers to continue the community discussions around this initiative.”
In a release, the chamber noted that the task force, which was formed in June of last year, was the "recognition of a strong willingness by community and business leaders to step forward and get engaged in addressing our homelessness challenges."
According to the release, the June 11 workshop is intended to bring together key stakeholders in building the framework for moving a homeless foundation forward in our community.
Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in focus group discussions, providing valuable input to shape future actions as part of an impactful community initiative.
To register for the event, head to the Red Deer chamber website.
In April, the chamber's task force recommended a non-profit led by business, city, community and Indigenous leaders be responsible for co-ordinating efforts to address Red Deer’s homelessness.
The group, called the Red Deer Homelessness Foundation, would take over the city’s responsibilities for securing funding, establishing standards of delivery and allocating resources to support homelessness initiatives.
“This means bringing the business and community leaders together to lead our response and rally the resources necessary to drive results. I feel the time is right to make this shift. We are small enough and an engaged community that we can affect change,” Radford said in April.
The City of Red Deer's Housing and Homelessness Committee was originally scheduled to meet on Wednesday, June 5, but announced Tuesday it had pushed its meeting to June 25.