Jack Perkes
Age: 22
Occupation: Contract Clerk of the City of Kitchener
How long have you lived in Cambridge?
12+ years
Do you live in the community/city you’re running to?
I have lived in Cambridge for a long time
Why are you running in this election?
I’m running in this election because I believe our society needs more young people and the unrepresented population to get involved, get involved and create positive change in our community.
What qualifies you to represent your community?
I’ve always had a passion for politics. I believe the time has come for me to get involved and be the voice for positive change our community needs
Why should people vote for you?
My goal is to share my point of view with our council so they can see situations that may not have been considered before from a fresh perspective. I want to use my youth to personally connect with a different demographic facing an ever-evolving problem like the current housing crisis.
What do you think are the biggest problems for the residents of the station?
With homelessness on the rise due to problems such as a lack of affordable housing, those living on the streets are turning to crime to survive. This alone creates a number of problems for both homeless and homeless people that sooner or later need to be addressed.
What do you think are the main issues facing Cambridge residents more broadly?
The lack of affordable housing with waiting lists that are 5-10 years long. When rents go up, people have to choose between paying rent or supporting themselves and their families. This has led to a sharp increase in the use of food banks, school feeding programs and weekend/school holiday food shortage programmes. In fact, studies have shown that the lack of affordable housing has led to an increase in illicit drug use.
There is also a lack of services for the under-represented groups within Cambridge. For example, there are no programs in our city for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, many members of this group have to travel to either Waterloo or Guelph to find these services. Some people may not even make it that far and find themselves in situations where they don’t feel safe about being themselves.
What’s the main change you’d like to see in Cambridge?
Speeding up the approval process for the construction of affordable housing, as well as
Creating new and innovative forms of housing to accommodate more people in less time. This allows us to create more affordable housing units over a longer period of time while also finding accommodation for those who need it in the short term.
What services need improvement in Cambridge?
Access to public transport and rapid expansion of LRT to provide people with a way to get to work and other services they need. The expansion of the LRT will give people access to other cities in our region.
As a city we need to create services for the LQBTQIA+ community in Cambridge as there is currently no support in our city. The City of Waterloo offers programs such as Spectrum and GLOW, however Cambridge does not offer such services to educate and support our LGBTQIA+ communities.
Is Cambridge growing too fast, just the right amount, or not fast enough?
While it feels like our city is experiencing the right amount of growth, I believe it’s growing faster than our current housing market can accommodate. To manage this we need to ensure we can accommodate new and current residents in Cambridge with affordable housing.
What can be done at the local level to counter rising housing costs?
More financial support for people at risk of homelessness due to rising rents, e.g. B. Reassessment of the criteria and formulas for calculating rent by income. I also believe that we can offer financial assistance to help those who have defaulted on rent. Reallocating or reclassifying city reserve funds to provide additional access to financial assistance for those parts of our city that live near or below the poverty line.
What can be done locally to address the problem of homelessness?
I believe we should get to the root of the problem for some who are coming out of the care system, by offering them support through financial aid, post-secondary education programs, or job support to keep them off the streets. By providing them with the tools they need to survive in the real world post-care.
I also believe in educating our society about foster care to provide the organization with more supportive families to help children who are struggling.
In addition, by supporting people with mental health problems and providing emergency shelters for the homeless, but above all by creating safer shelters by creating individual rooms instead of sleeping accommodations on wards. One of the main reasons people don’t stay in shelters is the lack of security and the violence they experience; So they prefer to live outside.
How do we make Cambridge an even better city to live in?
By working together and fostering a community that supports and helps one another. And to get there, we need to look at what’s in store for the next generation right now so we can lay the groundwork for their future. So I believe I can be the stepping stone this city needs to achieve that goal.
To learn more about Jack visit the following links:
Jackperkes.approx
@VoteJackPerkes on twitter,
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