With Oshawa’s mayoral elections approaching, homelessness has emerged as a key election issue. The city’s mayoral candidates have proposed models and frameworks for supporting people experiencing homelessness and addressing addiction-related issues. A recent CBC article examines these proposals through the perspectives of experts working in the field.
Among those featured is Trish Lenz, assistant professor in the School of Social Work. Lenz notes that while federal housing programs can play an important role in expanding affordable housing, new housing developments alone will only provide a partial solution. Long-term funding for operations, maintenance and support services is also essential.
Lenz also emphasizes the importance of including the voices and experiences of people who are experiencing homelessness in the development of policy solutions. She raises concerns about the limited focus on income supports within the candidates' platforms and argues that affordable housing must remain the foundation of any effective strategy to address homelessness.
Lenz has worked for over 15 years in the field of homelessness and housing in both frontline and system-transformation roles. Her current research interests in social innovation, local government and nonprofit organizational relations aims to contribute to practical solutions in redistributing social power, decision-making authority and resources to historically marginalized groups.
Read the full article in .