The number of people experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region is increasing due to the lack of political will to change our approaches to financialized housing market as well as the current approaches to residents living in shelters and those unsheltered. Homelessness is a complex problem and requires deep collective thinking about the complicency of institutions, service providers and housed people in ongoing human rights violations of the homeless residents. Region of Waterloo staff and community partners will co-create a Plan to End Chronic Homelessness (The Plan) in 2023 so we can move from the current position of blaming individuals or upholding systems of harm towards a whole community being engaged in responses rooted in human right to housing. Social Development Centre is jining the Region staff and Overlap Associates in creating this roadmap for strategies that are rooted in reality and respectful of lived experience of unhomed residents. Together with the lived experts we will set the stage for hands on collaboration with partner organizations to test some of the responses and learn from prototypes that can involve processes, structures and services informed by lived experience.
"Lesley Crompton Tax Prep Services" provides free tax return preparation for low-income individuals and families (income <$45,000 per individual). Returns can be done virtual, drop off or in-person at the Civic Hub Waterloo Region 
The 2022 Community Wellbeing Survey preliminary results were released by the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Team, and 
The Group has completed a string of interviews to unpack current barriers and solutions to lived expertise work, such as trauma and diversity, accountability to the process by both municipal partners and lived experts, and the persisting tokenism. The Working Group members are proud and enthusiastic about co-creating the approach being used and have identified even more opportunities to keep improving the process and the collaboration with municipal staff and councils.
We may not need another research on homelessness and supports to homeless in Waterloo Region for a long time. A lot has been said and remains ignored to the large extent today. The project we are starting in collaboration with the Region of Waterloo with 
"I Am Not Invisible", an open event at the Kitchener Public Library, organized by Disabilities and Human Rights Group, complements a range of activities in the three cities on December 3rd, the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities. 
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