Lanark County is undertaking a comprehensive process for its new 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan, including two public engagement sessions.
The public sessions are in-person and open to anyone interested in helping to shape housing and homelessness objectives for the next 10 years. They are scheduled as follows:

• Tuesday, March 10, 5 to 7 p.m. – Carleton Place Arena

• Thursday, March 12, 1 to 3 p.m. – Smiths Falls Youth Arena

“We are hoping for strong attendance at these sessions,” said Director of Social Services Emily Hollington. “Feedback and lived experience from community members contributes to our understanding of the needs, challenges, ideas and concerns of our residents when it comes to housing in Lanark County.”

As a service manager, Lanark County is required by the province to develop and update its 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan, which is important for supporting poverty reduction, increasing multi-sector collaboration and for focusing on client-centred service access. The plan must assess current and future housing needs in Lanark County, propose measures to meet objectives and targets, and describe how progress will be measured.
The previous plan focused on seven priorities, including increased access to housing, ending homelessness, non-profit housing corporations and cooperatives, private market, coordination with community services, meeting a broad range of community needs and environmental sustainability.

“Over the past 10 years, Lanark County has made progress in providing safe and affordable housing,” said Warden Richard Kidd (Beckwith Reeve). “This new plan will help us to build on that foundation and make even greater strides for our community.”

Residents can also provide input through a survey, which can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LanarkCounty