The Community Task Force on Homelessness and Downtown Security has hit the ground running.
Less than two weeks after rolling out an action plan, highlighted by 27 items to address some of the most pressing issues in the City of Moncton, the task force has secured its first dose of federal funding.
“I’m happy to share some news that our efforts -the task force- received approval on Friday of $50,000 in funding that’s been secured from Reaching Home,” task force chair John Wishart told Moncton City Council on Monday night.
Reaching Home “provides funding to urban, Indigenous, rural and remote communities to help them address their local homelessness needs,” its website states.
These funds will allow the task force to hire an Action Plan Managing Director, who must “drive integration and action from all stakeholders,” according to the report released on Nov. 26.
“We need a dedicated staff person to drive these actions, to drive the execution of this report, working with all the stakeholders,” said Wishart, who is also the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton.
Many stakeholders carry several other responsibilities outside of the homelessness file, which is why they need someone to run point on these actions, Wishart previously told our newsroom.
Members on the task force include Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold, MLA Greg Turner, MP Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Myriam Mekni, Managing Director of Rising Tide Community Initiatives Inc., Denis Foulem, Owner of Foulem Construction and Wishart.
A search for the candidate best suited to serve as the director is expected to begin this week, Wishart said.
The task force also has a meeting on Dec. 13 with members of the regional Progressive Conservative Caucus, including Ministers Daniel Allain, Bruce Fitch, and Ernie Steeves, to discuss funding from the provincial government.
