The pressing and complex issue of housing and homelessness in Lambton County will be discussed at an upcoming virtual town hall meeting.
The virtual summit will be held on Monday, June 3 from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. Residents can watch the Housing and Homelessness Townhall Session live on YouTube.
County of Lambton Homelessness Prevention Program Supervisor Ian Hanney said each panelist will give a brief introduction as to what their organization does and a moderator will oversee a question-and-answer period.
Hanney said the county received upwards of 50 questions through resident submissions.
"It's clear from what I've read from some of those questions -- I haven't read them all just yet -- that there's passion in our community not just to for individual neighbourhoods and communities, but folks are passionate as well about the precariously housed or unhoused neighbour," he said.
Hanney said the town hall session is being held at the direction of Lambton County Council to convey some of the ongoing collaborative work taking place in the community in an accessible format.
Other panelists involved in the meeting will include Lambton County Manager of Housing Services Melisa Johnson, Inn of the Good Shepherd Executive Director Myles Vanni, Sarnia Police Chief Derek Davis, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Karalyn Dueck, and Bluewater Health and CMHA Lambton-Kent Integrated Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services Donna Morreau.
"This is an opportunity, this town hall, for many of those local agencies that have been working tirelessly -- really intensively since the outset of the pandemic, to try and address this national housing and opioid crisis," Hanney said.
In 2023, Lambton County Council formally announced affordable housing and shelter as the number one priority.
In mid-April, county officials gave an update on the status of local affordable housing projects but specified the need for additional government funding moving forward.