Cambridge approves emergency funding for homelessness, opioid crisis

KITCHENER -- The City of Cambridge has approved emergency funding to help combat the city's homelessness and opioid crisis.

The funding will go towards the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Waterloo and Kitchener (ACCKWA), a front-line service supporting people with HIV and AIDS, along with the broader homeless community.

The group asked for $10,000 to help on-call outreach workers. Executive director Ruth Cameron said demand for their services in Cambridge is unprecedented.

"During the pandemic, what we saw was a 50 per cent increase in encampments we were supporting around Cambridge," she said. "There has been a 58 per cent increase in fatalities related to overdose in Waterloo Region during the pandemic over the past year and there has been a 36 per cent increase in chronic homelessness over the past year."

There was pushback from three council members, who said they support the idea of giving money to the organization, but believe the Region of Waterloo should fund this type of work.