CK CARES

Coming Soon

The Background

The Chatham-Kent Coordinated Entry & Access System is designed to organize community-level responses to homelessness. Individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or a housing crisis are directed to community-level entry points where trained workers use a common assessment tool to evaluate the individual or family's depth of need (acuity), prioritize them for housing and/or support services and help to match them to available housing-focused interventions.

Municipal leaders have noticed that while there is a concerted effort to address homelessness, they're worried about what's ahead, so they're starting something new called CK CARES. The aim is to put an end to homelessness by spreading awareness and building a supportive community. Their goal is to make sure more people understand the situation and to get rid of wrong ideas about homelessness.

The Idea

CK CARES is spearheading a comprehensive plan to reshape the way we address homelessness challenges locally, with a strong emphasis on community involvement. By tapping into the collective power of our neighborhoods, we're forging a path towards solutions that are driven by the people, for the people. The strategy will encompasses a multifaceted approach, rooted in guiding decision makers on effective engagement with residents, subsequently translating this approach into actionable steps. Residents' input will serve as the cornerstone for crafting solutions that truly resonate with the community.

Once this engagement model is established, we will work on turning it into a concrete operational strategy, implementing structured processes that ensure ongoing communication, transparent decision-making, and the seamless integration of residents' perspectives into every facet of our initiatives. This plan is about building neighborhoods that don't just house individuals, but uplift and nurture them, resulting in a collective growth that benefits everyone. This approach involves engaging with project supporters right from the outset, creating a ripple effect as neighbors see fellow community members endorsing the initiative, ultimately fostering widespread backing.