The CEO of Our Place Society announced yesterday that he hopes to find homes by the end of the year for people living on the street in the 900-block of Pandora Ave.

“It distresses me to see so many displaced people,” Our Place CEO Julian Daly said in a media release. “No one should be consigned to living on the pavement in our city. It’s a crying shame. All people deserve so much better.”

Our Place, located in the middle of the Pandora encampments, recently surveyed people living on the street. Not surprisingly, all of them hoped for a better life.

“Each person told us they wanted housing, and what supports they needed to be successful once housed,” Daly said, noting the survey showed people need help with addiction and mental health as much as they do with housing.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution,” Daly says. “Instead, we have to tailor our supports to the individual.”

Some of the highlights of the survey were:

0% said they wanted to remain living on the streets
15% have struggled with homelessness for over 10 years
23% of individuals living on the block are female
23% of individuals are over the age of 50
39% of people are currently interested in accessing treatment programs
80% have been homeless for more than 1 year
85% have untreated physical health conditions
95% are currently struggling with their mental health.

“Our Place is one of the charities that is actively trying to help,” Daly said. “We did not create or enable the situation on Pandora, and we, as much as anyone, want to find a solution to it. In fact, our aim is to secure housing for everyone currently camping on Pandora before the end of the year.”