KAWARTHA HILL
PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY & COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT
Subject: Peterborough’s Homelessness Response, Public-Space Cleanliness and the One City Clean Team Pilot
Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Prepared by: Kawartha Hill Social Advocacy and Audit Group
Report purpose: Public-interest scrutiny, transparency and accountability
1. Purpose of This Report
Kawartha Hill is examining how public resources are being used to address homelessness, public-space cleanliness, employment opportunities and community well-being in Peterborough.
The purpose is not to target individuals or organizations without evidence. It is to establish what has been funded, what services are being delivered, what outcomes are being achieved and whether the community is receiving measurable value from its investments.
People experiencing homelessness deserve dignity, appropriate housing and meaningful opportunities. Residents and businesses also deserve clean, accessible and safe public spaces.
These responsibilities should not be treated as competing interests.
2. The One City Clean Team Pilot
On August 31, 2026, Peterborough City Council approved $25,000 in funding for One City Community Development Services to deliver an eight-week Community Stewardship – Clean Streets pilot.
The funding was allocated from existing waste collection and operations funding.
The program was intended to provide supervised cleaning opportunities for people experiencing homelessness or housing precarity, while improving the condition of public spaces.
The City announced that the pilot began October 19, 2026. Ten individuals were hired by One City to participate.
The announced work areas included:
- Areas surrounding the Trinity Community Hub.
- The Peterborough Public Library branch on Aylmer Street.
- Simcoe Park and Bethune Park.
- The Peterborough Transit Terminal.
- Other streets with significant pedestrian and business activity.
The stated objectives included cleaner public spaces, employment income, work experience and stronger community connections.
Sources: City of Peterborough, Trinity Community Hub Reopens October 19, 2026; City Council meeting overview package, August 24, 2026; Council funding approval, August 31, 2026.
3. Public Funding and Accountability
The approved $25,000 is public funding. Residents are entitled to understand how that funding is administered and what results it produces.
Kawartha Hill is requesting clarification on:
- How much of the $25,000 was spent?
- How much was allocated to participant wages?
- How much was spent on supervision, equipment, transportation, administration and other expenses?
- Were all ten participants employed and paid?
- What hourly compensation and employment arrangements were provided?
- What insurance, workplace safety measures and protective equipment were in place?
- How many hours of work were completed?
- How many public spaces and streets were serviced?
- What measurable improvements were recorded?
- Were businesses and residents consulted before and after the pilot?
The public should be able to distinguish between money approved, money spent, services delivered and outcomes achieved.
4. Homelessness and Housing Outcomes
The City’s homelessness information identifies an ongoing challenge.
The City reports that its 2024–2025 homelessness data shows an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness. A separate published outcome summary reports a minimum of 932 people in 2025, compared with 803 in 2024.
These figures include people connected to homelessness services who were unsheltered, staying in shelters or couch surfing. They should not be described as a complete count of every person experiencing homelessness.
The City also identifies housing as the solution to homelessness.
Kawartha Hill therefore asks:
- How many people moved from homelessness into permanent housing during the relevant reporting period?
- How many people remained homeless after receiving services?
- How many people returned to homelessness after being housed?
- What is the current demand for emergency shelter compared with available capacity?
- What permanent and supportive housing projects are underway?
- What is being done for people who cannot access existing shelter or housing options?
- What happens to people after encampment clearances?
Cleaning public spaces may address immediate conditions, but it does not by itself resolve homelessness. Employment opportunities are valuable, but they must be considered alongside housing outcomes.
5. Public-Space Management and Encampment Clearances
Public spaces must remain accessible and usable by the wider community. At the same time, people experiencing homelessness must be treated with dignity and their belongings and safety must be considered.
Kawartha Hill is seeking transparent information about how encampment concerns are handled.
Questions include:
- What procedures are followed before an encampment is cleared?
- Are outreach and housing services offered before enforcement action?
- How are residents informed of available alternatives?
- What happens to personal belongings?
- Are there records of referrals to shelter or housing services?
- How are repeat encampments and displacement monitored?
- What follow-up is provided after a clearance?
The objective is to understand whether the response addresses the underlying circumstances or simply moves the visible problem elsewhere.
6. Employment, Dignity and Community Participation
The Clean Team pilot provides an opportunity to examine how paid employment can support people facing barriers to traditional work.
Kawartha Hill supports employment initiatives that provide:
- Fair compensation.
- Safe working conditions.
- Respectful supervision.
- Meaningful work experience.
- Opportunities for training and advancement.
- Voluntary participation.
- Control over workers’ own earnings.
People should not be treated as a source of cheap labour because they are experiencing homelessness.
Any future expansion should be evaluated to ensure that employment is additional to existing municipal services and does not displace established City employees.
7. Questions for the City’s Early 2027 Report
The City indicated that staff would report back to Council in early 2027 on the pilot’s outcomes and recommendations for potential continuation or expansion.
Kawartha Hill requests that this report include:
- Total funding approved and actual expenditure.
- A breakdown of wages and operating expenses.
- Number of participants hired and retained.
- Total participant hours and compensation.
- Locations serviced and work completed.
- Before-and-after measurements of public-space conditions.
- Feedback from residents and local businesses.
- Workplace safety and insurance arrangements.
- Employment outcomes after the pilot.
- Whether participants were connected with housing or other support services.
- Lessons learned and identified shortcomings.
- Recommendations and the financial implications of continuing or expanding the program.
A report that only describes activities is not enough. The community needs to know what changed as a result.
8. Kawartha Hill’s Position
Kawartha Hill recognizes that programs such as the One City Clean Team can contribute to public-space maintenance and employment opportunities.
However, a successful cleanup program should not be confused with a successful homelessness strategy.
Peterborough needs coordinated action that addresses:
- Permanent and affordable housing.
- Emergency and transitional accommodation.
- Accessible housing for people with disabilities.
- Mental-health and health-care access.
- Poverty and income insecurity.
- Employment and economic participation.
- Clean, accessible and welcoming public spaces.
- Respectful and accountable public administration.
These are connected issues. They require measurable results and continued public scrutiny.
9. Formal Recommendations
Kawartha Hill recommends that the City:
- Publish the full outcome report for the Clean Team pilot.
- Provide a transparent breakdown of the $25,000 expenditure.
- Establish measurable performance indicators for any future program.
- Consult participants, residents, businesses and service providers.
- Report employment and housing outcomes separately from cleanup activity.
- Publish clear procedures for encampment outreach, clearances and personal belongings.
- Identify gaps in existing services and explain how future funding will address them.
- Ensure that people experiencing homelessness are treated as community members with rights and dignity.
10. Conclusion
Peterborough’s homelessness and public-space challenges cannot be resolved through appearances alone.
A cleaner street is a worthwhile result. A person earning a fair wage is a worthwhile result. A person moving into safe, stable housing is a worthwhile result.
The community deserves to know whether public investments are producing all three—and what remains unfinished.
Kawartha Hill believes in accountability without prejudice, scrutiny without assumptions and solutions that recognize the dignity of every person.
No one is left behind. Everyone belongs.
KAWARTHA HILL
Social Advocacy and Public Accountability
END HOMELESSNESS. REMOVE BARRIERS. RESTORE DIGNITY.
This is an independent public-interest report and request for information. It is not a statutory audit, government investigation or finding of wrongdoing.
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