Welcome to our latest Let’s Talk: We sincerely hope it has been positive and happy new year so far!
In this recurring newsletter for South Niagara Chambers of Commerce members, we focus on important issues affecting local businesses like yours, in a spirit of dialogue to be shared among us.
The last few months has revealed a fast -changing world, generating pressing issues affecting us all.
For our first 2025 edition, we spotlight one of them — the complex and persistent issue of homelessness and related public issues that are increasingly affecting SNCC members — notably, businesses in downtowns or commercial areas.
This is a bedeviling and large file for Niagara, and has built up over many years. Chamber members and evidence reveals its increasing prevalence since the pandemic. Background causes include a lack of affordable housing, effective mental health treatment, and a notable increase in problematic behaviour caused by encampments, plus street crime and disruptions from people affected by mental-health and addictions trouble.
Many Chamber members, their employees and customers tell us they’re being negatively impacted.
Indeed, this trouble isn’t happening in a vacuum — multiple levels of government and agencies such as Welland’s Gateway and The Hope Centre have programs and initiatives now ramping-up to deal with this. Money is coming in, from the province and elsewhere. Stakeholders are working together, although some suggest there are too many ‘silos’; and a focused responsibility from a single, homeless-issue ‘czar’ is needed.
Significant initiatives now include the Community Oriented Response & Engagement Unit (CORE) of the Niagara Regional Police, which involves engagement on community involvement, crime prevention and problem-oriented policing, among other tasks.
Niagara Region and its Niagara Regional Housing are also adding resources to affordable housing and homelessness reduction through shelter diversion, connecting more-seamlessly with social services and improving transitions to stable housing.
Local partners are also coordinating a Niagara Assertive Street Outreach Team (NASO), which actively engages individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in order to coordinate better access to regional supports.
We heard in 2024 that Niagara had roughly 1,000 chronically homeless, although a precise figure isn’t known and may have changed.
Meanwhile, calling 211 is usually the best option, when confronting non-criminal homelessness issues and other matters, like encampments causing trouble.
In response to this broader issue, the SNCC held a roundtable last year. It featured homeless-stakeholder non-profits, a real estate expert, the police, Niagara Region and others. We heard it’s a complex phenomenon that includes problem-causing chronic homeless — some in encampments —and other transients on the street. Adequate addiction-recovery services, affordable rentals and shelter space can also be a factor.
Late last year, the SNCC also sent out a survey to members, with help from Brock University. Just under half of respondents said their business was being negatively affected by homeless issues. Moving forward, the SNCC also plans to hold a ‘Lunch and Learn’ to get participants up to speed and hear your comments. More details will follow.
“Homelessness is an escalating problem for our members and a growing social issue for us all,” said Dolores Fabiano, Executive Director of the South Niagara Chambers of Commerce
“We would appreciate hearing your views on the issue of homelessness and street trouble impacting, or impeding your business and personal safety — or, anything else affecting you we should focus on.”
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For Chamber members handling issues related to homelessness and street crime, please see the contact recommendations below, from one of our police contacts.
Niagara Regional Police (NRP) Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Bootsma:
For social-type issues, such as homeless people causing non-criminal problems, or encampment concerns, we recommend calling 211 — this connects them to the Niagara Assertive Street Outreach (NASO) team. NASO is one of the NRP’s main community partners and can provide support for people dealing with homelessness issues.
For criminal concerns such as vandalism, theft or trespassing, the NRP recommends calling the non-emergency police number 905-688-4111 to get an officer dispatched. Chamber members can explain the issue concerns the homeless population and request a NRP CORE officer attend.
The CORE unit (Community Oriented Response and Engagement) is ideally suited to deal with these types of issues and will attend, if they are not already busy with a different matter.
For additional feedback, including suggestions for future roundtables, podcasts and Let’s Talk editions, please submit your ideas to dolores@niagarafallschamber.com
