Oshawa, ON connects homeless community and downtown businesses through Welcoming Streets program

City extends Welcoming Street pilot | The Oshawa Express

By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express The City of Oshawa recently announced an extension of the Welcoming Streets Initiative pilot project. The Welcoming Streets pilot, approved by council in September 2019, is a collaborative effort between the city, CAREA Community Health Centre, and the Downtown Oshawa BIA to help the homeless. The program includes an outreach worker responsible for improving relationships between Oshawa’s homeless population and business owners. It was inspired by a partnership in Guelph called the Guelph Welcoming Streets Initiative, involving the city, the County of Wellington, the local BIA and community health centre, and the police department. Since its inception, Oshawa has seen the Welcoming Streets team interact with more than 550 unsheltered residents, which has resulted in more than 200 referrals to support agencies. The pilot has also seen 250 participants in workshops, and has visited more than 400 businesses around the city. The city initially contributed $50,224, and will now contribute an additional $120,087 to keep the program running until Dec. 31. Ward 4 City and Regional Councillor Rick Kerr tells The Express Welcoming Streets is a “positive” for Oshawa’s downtown. Kerr reflects back to a cold winter day when he and Mayor Dan Carter met [...]

Welcoming Streets - Carea