Meet some of the people living in Kitchener's tiny homes community

Diana Myers says it feels "incredible"to have her own tiny home and to live among a community that supports one another.

She remembers the stress of not knowing where to go or where she would sleepafter she losther home earlier this year.

"We were sleeping atthe bus terminal and it was really hard to go places because you couldn't use the bathrooms or anything," Myers told CBC News Sunday.

Myers is among the 40 people living in A Better Tent City, a tiny homes community, on the property where LOT42 resides.

She and her boyfriend arrived two months ago with the help of Nadine Green, who saw them while she was handing out food and sandwiches at the terminal.

"They were not used to being out on the streets andI could see it in their eyes," Green said. A week later, shetracked them down and invited them to stay at LOT42.

Green, who also lives on theLOT42property, said she lost herbusiness on Duke Street in downtown Kitchener after she had turned her corner store into aplace for some of the city's homeless to stay.

She later received an eviction notice from her landlord. Green nowhelps run the small community, whichhas been a "wonderful"experience for her.

"It's worth losing my store, it's worth everything."

Region to look at future of emergency shelter system

Green and Jeff Willmer, one of the men behind the A Better Tent Cityproject, say they hopethe region sees the tiny homes community as a possible solutiontoend homelessness in the region.

"A sanctioned tent city is better able to receive supports from the community and other communities have done that. San Jose, Calif., is the one we keep talking about as a best practice," Willmer said.

Regional councillorsare set to discuss an emergency shelter transitionplan on Wednesday, which includes the development of an pragmaticand a longer-term vision plan.

"The recovery plan will change how shelter services are provided in the region as informed by the learning of the pandemic response," a report from regional staff said, adding the plan will focus on the existing supportive and affordable housing solutions.

The report said as theemergency overflow shelter at the A.R. KaufmanYMCA is set to close at the end of June, plans are in the worksto expand capacity at the Radison Hotel which currently houses the Charles Street Men's Shelter and the Cambridge Shelter.

Staff will also look at possibly adding moresitesto accommodatethe increase demand in emergency shelter for men.

Long-term, the report saidthe region will focus on "re-envisioning" the supply and delivery of shelter services "through the lens of the pandemic" and will beled by the region's existing pandemic housing and homeless working group.

Green said the region could be doing more for homelessness and should focus on building more affordable and supportive housing.

Willmer also agrees that affordable and supportive housing should to be front and centre.

"The issue of homelessness and unsheltered people was a challenge before COVID-19 and will still be a challenge in the future," he said. "The solution for homelessness is housing."