Calgary gets creative in tackling homeless problem

Close to 5,000 people living on the streets of Calgary now have a place to call home since a plan began to eliminate homelessness.

Calgary Homeless Foundation President and CEO John Rook says this is year six of the ten year initiative.

He tells 660News there’s a real shortage of affordable units so they’re getting creative.

“Just before Christmas we purchased the first property and we’ll be doing a build fairly soon,” he says. “Several builders in the city have stepped up and the government has stepped up and the plan is over the next couple of years to build eight 30 unit projects, so that adds 240 apartments to the system.”

Rook says once they find a homeless person a place to live, they do wrap-around support so they stay housed with services such as psychiatry, dentistry, employment and resume writing; anything and everything to help them succeed.

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