Province to act on report advising spread-out services to better serve P.E.I.’s homeless [Video]

The P.E.I. government says it’s ready to move forward on recommendations on how to best support Islanders experiencing homelessness.

Carlene Donnelly, who was brought on as a special adviser to former premier Dennis King to help develop a “client-centred” model of care for those facing homelessness, recently submitted her final report.

Her primary recommendation is a plan to decentralize services, particularly to reach rural areas often left out of traditional support models.

This “distributed model” would shift away from central hubs and instead expand services through community-based efforts Island-wide.

“I think that’s the model to go,” Donnelly told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.

“It’s more feasible to scale to rural P.E.I. — that’s always been on our radar. I know it seems sometimes like we’re focusing on Charlottetown and Summerside and other communities, but really it’s the whole Island that we’re focusing on.”

The final report on how best to support Islanders with complex issues who are experiencing homelessness is now complete, and the …