Response from Barbara Young:

Homelessness is a major problem in this city. Having just attended the peacemakers breakfast this morning I am well aware of homelessness, hunger, lack of job skills and the housing issues that affect the population.  The issues are interactive and most of the issues are experienced by members of our community at the same time. 

Many of those affected by these issues are children.  As a Public Board member I would speak with my colleagues on the Board to see if we can, as a Board, direct the Administration to provide the city with examples of how homelessness affects children's and young adult's education experience.

We know that birth to school age children are at risk in our society and as a Board we have advanced Pre K programs in this city and we charge no rent to day care associations and before and after school programs  that  are situated in our schools. Nevertheless I think we need to frame the effect that homelessness and lack of affordable housing has on  young children.

At the same time the young adults are affected and often don't finish high school. These students are also of concern to the Public Board. In response to that issue the Board has opened the Adult Centre and day care downtown where there are now 400 students enrolled at any one time, who take from one to several courses in order to complete their high school education while they are working, many of them for minimum wage or less.

The Trades and Skills Centre is also an innovation started by the Public Board that brings together many partners to provide job skills to students who want to access the work place directly out of high school.  Providing access to those important steps toward being able to earn a living is within our mandate.  Those same students need access to affordable housing that will enable them to work, finish school and care for their children in affordable day cares.

The Public Board meets regularly with the City in a liaison role.  

Affordable housing and its relationship to educating children could be an agenda item for Committee discussion.