WESTLOCK – A grassroots coalition aimed at tackling the issue of housing insecurity in the Town of Westlock, Westlock County and Village of Clyde met at the Provincial Building in Westlock on Aug. 20.
Approximately 18 community members participated including Hope McIntyre from WJS Canada, which provides social services to children, youth, adults and families facing difficulties.
“We need to help people,” she told Townandcountrytoday.com about why she joined the coalition. “I’m tired of seeing people sleeping on the streets and hiding in banks to get warm. It’s only getting worse.”
There were representatives from the Town of Westlock, Westlock County, the Village of Clyde, the Westlock RCMP, and many other social service groups in attendance. McIntyre, however, said she would like to see more people from local service groups such as the Rotary, as well as more business owners attend.
“There is power in numbers, and this is a small group,” she said. “We need the perspective from everybody in the community including the businesses.”
Brandy Berry, the executive director of Healthy Families, Healthy Futures, led the Westlock Secure Housing and Resource Coalition meeting discussions and had the group break into four working groups.
The four groups included: 1) Rural Development Network (RDN) working group to flesh out its recommendations and how they fit with the coalition's identified priorities; 2) Coalition and capacity building to deal with reducing the stigma; 3) Short and mid-term housing solutions; and 4) Community well-being and resources.
Berry emphasized the importance of the coalition being a grassroots movement and working from the bottom up rather than the top down. She said the coalition aims to deal with housing insecurity and the lack of resources in Westlock, Westlock County, and Clyde.
Participants of the group include Marnie Hoetmer, Brandy Berry, Barbara Trevor, Avis Logan, Ken Stange, Karen Weir, Raya Vandelagemaat, Zara Pye, Simone Wiley, Jaye Parrent, Sylvia Yoder, Nicholas Cook, Leah Breckenridge, Debbie McCoy, Adrianne Finnigan, Greg Morris, Tracy Proulx, Hope McIntyre, and RCMP S/Sgt. Jeff Sehn.
The Town of Westlock, Westlock County, and the Village of Clyde had approached Healthy Families Healthy Futures to lead the Westlock Secure Housing and Resource Coalition initiative.
The group meets monthly at the Provincial Building, and they invite everyone to participate in discussions.
For more information on the coalition's activities, or to get involved, please contact Health Families Healthy Futures in Westlock at 780-307-2444.
