If there’s one thing that everyone in Chatham-Kent might be able to agree on, it’s that we have a real need for affordable housing, as well as supportive housing.

We have ballooning encampments of homeless residents, the most visible currently across the road from the Harvey’s restaurant in Chatham.

In an effort to help alleviate the situation, council has approved an initiative that will see a 50-cabin tiny home emergency shelter complex installed on a municipally-owned property at the intersection of Park and Hyslop streets in Chatham.

However, the current emergency shelter at the former Victoria Park School is expected to close its doors next May and it seems to be operating at capacity, so we certainly need more options.

We have a long way to go in CK before our many and varied housing needs will be met and like so many complex situations, there are no easy answers.

At its Aug. 12 meeting, council approved the purchase of the former 2.43-acre St. Agnes Catholic School property by a vote of 10-7 for $1.05 million, which led to much discussion both inside and outside of council chambers.

For background, in May 2021, the St. Clair Catholic District School Board listed the surplus property on the open market, having had no interest from any of the public sector agencies it was required to offer it to, including this municipality.

At the time, Indwell, a Hamilton-based Christian charity that works with the homeless, were already looking to initiate a project in Chatham-Kent.

Indwell’s goal at the time was to create 150 units across CK within the next five years, and in June, the school board announced it........

© Sarnia Observer