Sponsored by Forest Windows and Doors

Location: Place des Arts, La Grande Salle

1.5 ConEd Learning Hours
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

This panel of industry experts will address the homeless crisis in Sudbury that has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sudbury, like many Ontario cities, has been working with partner organizations to help those vulnerable populations in need.

This discussion will explore how data is collected and utilized to provide assistance, as well as design concepts for housing solutions for targeted populations. Funding approaches will be addressed as well as strategies to gain more funding for affordable housing. Holistic approaches that aid in short-term and long-term solutions will be analyzed.

Learning Objectives

1. Explore how the pandemic affected vulnerable populations in Sudbury and current data on homelessness in Sudbury.
   
2. Learn about design ideas for housing solutions.
   
3. Understand challenges and strategies for funding and approval processes.
   
4. Gain insight into holistic approaches to aiding those experiencing homelessness.

Raymond M. Landry has worked as the coordinator of the Homelessness Network, in Sudbury, since October 2016. After 31 years in the field of social services, specializing in addictions and mental health, working in and with Indigenous and francophone communities, in rural and urban settings, he joined the team at Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury, the Lead agency in the six-agency partnership that forms the Homelessness Network. He leads a team of 22 workers, from various disciplines and agencies, to assist and support those experiencing chronic homelessness find and maintain housing based in a Housing First Model. The Network is but one of many service providers linked to the city’s Coordinated Access System to offer housing and housing supports to those in need.

Aaron St Pierre is Anishinaabe from Moose Deer Point First Nation and has a wide range of experience working in the non-profit and post-secondary sectors. Aaron is currently Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Native People of Sudbury Development Corporation and is currently employed as the Director of the Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre at Queen’s University. Aaron also serves on the Urban and Rural Indigenous Housing Advisory Committee for the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association, the City of Kingston’s Planning Advisory Committee, and the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre. Aaron has worked with Indigenous and non-Indigenous housing and social service providers across the province, advocating for affordable housing solutions and ways to address the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis that continues to disproportionately impact Indigenous communities in both urban and rural centres.

Jessie Smith, M.Arch, OAA, MRAIC, LEED AP BD+C, GGP, is a seasoned Architect and Principal at CSV Architects. Drawing on more than 15 years of experience, Jessie has contributed to the design of some of the firm’s most noteworthy and award-winning projects. As a leader in sustainable design, Jessie provides her team with guidance, creative direction, and support to meet client goals and objectives. She is passionate about sustainability as a way to improve occupant comfort and well-being, and uses her human instinct to design healthy and inclusive communities that are accessible to all. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and a Green Globes Professional. She has served on the board of the Ottawa Regional Society of Architecture (ORSA) for four years as Vice-Chair.

Gail Spencer is the Manager of Housing Stability and Homelessness for the City of Greater Sudbury. She has worked in various roles within the City's Social Services division for nearly 30 years and has overseen the homelessness portfolio since 2008. Gail believes that ending homelessness is possible and that access to housing is a basic human right.

Chris Baziw moved to Sudbury in 2014 to attend the McEwen School of Architecture. While working toward his bachelor’s degree in architecture, Chris volunteered at the Elgin Street Mission Downtown. He received federal funding through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant to study homelessness in northern Ontario and specifically Sudbury for his M.Arch thesis, where he proposed a mixed-use supportive housing and social services hub in the downtown that addressed homelessness through inclusive design principles. His thesis won the McEwen School of Architecture’s social engagement award and was publicized in the local media. These accolades led to a series of outreach presentations throughout the community to discuss design as a tool to address homelessness and reshape policy. In 2020, Chris joined Centreline Architecture to begin his internship and has been able to work on several affordable housing proposals, including a 38-unit modular cross-laminated timber (CLT) building in downtown Sudbury that has received provincial funding and is currently seeking federal funding. He continues his advocacy and outreach by staying involved in the community and reaching out through invited speaking engagements and sessional teaching/reviewing at the McEwen School of Architecture.