1.        Background

At its meeting of October 13, 2004 City Council directed the establishment of a Task Force on Homelessness and the Safe Streets Act to “Review how the homeless are treated in the City of Ottawa and recommend procedures and solutions, including the exploration of multi-disciplinary street patrols, the use of mediation techniques and best practices in other cities.”

Membership of the Task Force is to “include representatives from the homeless community, City Council, the Alliance to End Homelessness, from shelter and day programs, the Ottawa Police (both staff and non elected Board Members), and staff from the Community and Protective Services Department and other relevant organizations.

The Task Force is to report back to Council with its recommendations no later than June 2005.

At the same Council meeting, a recommendation requesting that the Police Service Board establish a sub-committee to look at enforcement of the Safe Streets Act was deleted given the Police Service’s participation on the City Task Force.

In addition, at its meeting of September 16, dedicated to homelessness issues, the Health, Recreation and Social Services (HRSS) approved the following direction to staff:

·        Identify how a newspaper concerning homelessness and other goods could be sold and consider amending the licensing by-law to allow for such sales on downtown sidewalks ·        Arrange for regular meetings with the Mayor, social service agency providers, senior staff, and homeless representatives to discuss issues related to homelessness ·        Support strategies for income-earning opportunities for homeless individuals, e.g., Rideau Street Youth Initiative, Centre 507 ·        Provide information on City services for addressing homelessness and prevention of homelessness, and make it available in locations accessed by homeless individuals to provide information and resources on housing, health and social issues, and relevant community resources ·        Identify external legal services on a pro-bono basis to help homeless people deal with charges in court. Document 1 outlines all recommendations and motions approved by Committee and Council related to the Homelessness and Safe Streets Act meeting. 2.        Terms of Reference a)        The general scope of issues to be addressed by the Task Force relates to how homeless individuals are treated “on the street’, including access to services and supports, and enforcement of bylaws and regulations. All directions received emanating from the Homelessness and the Safe Streets Act report considered by HRSS on September 16, 2004 and Ottawa City Council on October 13, 2004 form part of the scope of the Task Force, including:

·        Review of regulations respecting sale of newspapers and goods on the sidewalk ·        Coordination of regular meetings with the Mayor to provide updates and discuss issues related to homelessness ·        Support strategies for income earning opportunities (e.g., Rideau Stret youth Initiative, Centre 507) ·        Provision of information and resources respecting preventing and addressing homelessness ·        Identification of external legal services provided on a pro-bono basis.

b)        The Task Force shall have as its primary task the responsibility of documenting conditions affecting the homeless and making recommendations on how those conditions can best be addressed via new or improved services, policies and procedures. c)        For the purposes of this Task Force, “homeless” shall mean any person who self-identifies themselves as being low-income below the poverty line with experience of homelessness or risk of becoming homeless. d)        The Task Force shall meet on the second Tuesday of each month to identify key issues for review, direct research and investigation into those issues, receive reports and information on issues, and develop recommendations on how to address those issues in Ottawa. e)        Task Force meetings shall be open to the public and will receive delegations on issues or on matters related to the treatment of the homeless in Ottawa. f)        Every effort will be made to ensure that homeless individuals will have the opportunity to directly participate in the Task Force, at meetings of the Task Force, in any research or investigations undertaken in support of the Task Force objectives. Homeless participants will be provided with honoraria or other supports appropriate to cover any costs associated with participation. g)        Representatives will be selected from a cross-section of the community, but will not formally represent any specific group or agency. Groups or agencies will be encouraged and enabled to participate in the Task Force proceedings directly. h)        A part-time resource person will be retained as needed to provide direct support to the Task Force, including organizing meetings or events, minutes and notes, collection and distribution of research materials and publications, preparation of reports, surveys, focus group materials. Any specific research/investigation activities will be secured on an as needed basis. i)        The budget for the Task Force has been set at $21,000, to be funded by the Community and Protective Services Department from within existing resources. 3.        Task Force Representation The following individuals have been identified as having experience, knowledge, interest or a stake in issues related to this Task Force. Any agency affiliation, where known, has been identified, but as per 2 d) above, are not expected to represent that agency on the Task Force.

1)        Sean McKenny         Ottawa & District Labour Council (Chair) 2)        Diane Holmes                 City Council, Chair, Health, Social Services Committee 3)        Peter Hume                 City Council, AMO Task Force on Homelessness 4)        Denise Vallely                Alliance to End Homelessness \ Youth Services Bureau 5)        Castille Troy                Minwaashin Lodge 6)        Mary-Martha Hale        Centre 454 7)        Karen Dawe                Homeless Advocate 8)        TBD                         Homeless Person(s) 9)        Jim MacEwen                Police Services Board 10)        Gilles Larochelle        Police Staff 11)        Phil Wasserman        Downtown Business Community 12)        Andy Kusi-Appiah         Mayor’s Office 13)        Perry Rowe                Director or Programs, Salvation Army 14)        Russell Mawby        City of Ottawa Housing Branch See Attachment A for a list of individuals and organizations that have expressed interest in this process, and who will be consulted as the Task Force process proceeds. 4. City Staff Roles and Responsibilities Project Lead – Russell Mawby Legislative Support – Colleen Pellatt Secretariat Support – Minutes, bus tickets, admin of honoraria, etc. 5. Deliverables The Task Force will develop a report with concrete recommendations for implementation. 6. Timeline The report is scheduled to be presented to Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee at its meeting of June 16, 2005. Meetings will be scheduled for the following dates:         Tuesday January 11, 2005        Tuesday April 12, 2005         Tuesday February 8, 2005        Tuesday May 10, 2005         Tuesday March 8, 2005        Tuesday June 14, 2005 (if needed) Times and locations to be determined.