By Matt Nemeth

Lived experience highlights annual ending homelessness update ceremony

Jun 16, 2017 | 5:48 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Medicine Hat’s Community Housing Society (MHCHS) has received recognition from around the world for being the first organization to end homelessness in a North American city, and the group has now provided more than 1,000 people with a place to live.

That was one of the many highlights at the 7th annual ending homelessness update ceremony at the Esplanade Friday, with mayor Ted Clugston proclaiming June 16 “Journey Home Day” in honour of the work done by the MHCHS.

Since April 1, 2009 a total of 777 adults and 317 children that were formerly homeless have been housed according to the progress report handed out before the ceremony.

“What we will see in the upcoming years is actually a decrease in the offering of certain services in our community,” said MHCHS Manager Jaime Rogers. “Medicine Hat will be the first community ever to actually reduce the number of housing first programs that we’re going to be operating next year.”

Medicine Hat College holding event for missing and murdered Indigenous women awareness day

23m ago

'An awesome, good feeling': National Volunteer Week underway in Medicine Hat

19h ago

Medicine Hat's spring Spectrum Festival returns for 2024

19h ago

Rogers says there are two reasons for that.

First, their wait lists for housing first and rapid re-housing services are not nearly as high as they used to be and second is the addition of permanent supportive housing that is slated to open in the fall.

“The fact that we will be getting permanent supportive housing in our community is a definite highlight,” says Rogers. “The last six years I’ve been in Medicine Hat that has been something that this community has worked so very hard for.”

The keynote speaker for this year’s ceremony was Joe Roberts.

Roberts, a former drug addict, experienced homelessness as a youth before turning his life around and becoming a successful businessman.

He’s now the executive director for The Push for Change and is currently on a 517 trek across the country while pushing a shopping cart in an effort to help end youth homelessness.

Roberts says he came to Medicine Hat because of all the great work the MHCHS is doing, and adds the city is getting it right with its housing first strategy.

“Investing in housing first is really the only way to go if we want to see a sunset on the issue of homelessness,” he said after his presentation. “You can look at it (homelessness) and go ‘Well I don’t think we should give homeless people a home, they should just get a haircut and get a job’. But you can’t get a haircut or a job if you don’t have a home.”

Mike Packard is one of the many people who has benefited from the city’s housing first approach.

He says the program has meant a lot to him.

“I’ve been at the same place for the last four years now, love it there,” Packard said.

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Packard says he also struggled with addiction issues for years.

He’s now been clean for more than a decade.

“I know it was a long journey for me, but I’m happy where I’m at,” says Packard.