Joe Gowing
Regional Council · Region of Waterloo
Back to candidatesHousing & Homelessness
- Partner with non-profit and supportive housing providers
- Use publicly owned land for permanent or interim housing
- Establish and maintain clear minimum standards (sanitation, safety, outreach)
- Expand the hours and capacity of extreme-weather shelter protections beyond current levels
- Require that enforcement actions be linked to the availability of adequate indoor alternatives
- Establish clear regional leadership with coordinated municipal roles
- Actively advocate to the province for defined funding triggers and program supports
- Publish ongoing performance metrics (e.g. housing placements, shelter bed access)
Please describe one concrete policy, program, or decision you would support to address both encampments and permanent housing.candidate's own words
I have already initiated work to examine the creation of a Municipal Housing Corporation that could use publicly owned land and other Regional assets, along with non-profit and private-sector partnerships, to create more affordable rental housing. I want that work to produce a financially responsible model with clear governance, measurable results and the ability to expand into supportive housing. At the same time, I have supported developing a clear encampment response framework before choosing locations. Temporary arrangements should only be considered when no safe and appropriate indoor alternative exists, and they must include standards for sanitation, safety, outreach and connections to housing. I also moved an amendment requiring regular public updates on A Better Tent City, including expenditures, resident assessments, transitions, safety and program performance. We need to know whether people are successfully moving into stable housing and whether public funding is producing results.
Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on housing?candidate's own words
My approach has been to build permanent housing capacity while bringing greater structure and accountability to temporary responses. Encampments should not become normalized as permanent housing, but clearing a site without providing an appropriate alternative often just moves people, and the problem, to another location. Municipalities need clear responsibilities, the Region must provide coordinated leadership, and the Province must properly fund the mental-health, addiction and supportive services that cannot be sustained through property taxes alone. Success must be measured by how many people obtain stable housing and remain housed, not simply by how many tents are removed.