Ontario Allocates $587 Million to Help End Homelessness
Building on Success of the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative
March 30, 2015
Ontario is partnering with municipalities across the province to prevent and address homelessness.
Through the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, the province is providing $587 million to municipalities to help families and individuals at risk of homelessness get the housing that best suits their needs. This funding will enable communities to offer a wider range of services to meet their local needs, including:
- Setting up emergency shelters for people in crisis.
- Offering homelessness prevention programs like providing emergency financial assistance to prevent eviction.
- Providing a mix of long-term and transitional housing.
- Other support services like street outreach, food banks and transportation.
As of March 31, 2014, the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative has helped over 33,100 families and individuals experiencing homelessness obtain housing, and has helped approximately 83,800 families and individuals at-risk of homelessness remain in their homes.
Providing support to address homelessness supports the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.
- Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative builds on Ontario’s Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy that is transforming the housing system by focusing on getting people in need housed as quickly as possible.
- Ontario is maintaining the current Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative funding allocations for two years pending the outcomes of the Expert Advisory Panel on Homelessness and the 2015-16 update to the Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy.
- As the most populous city in the province with a large and diverse number of families and individuals at risk of homelessness, Toronto will receive $223 million over two years.
- Since 2003, Ontario has committed over $4 billion to affordable housing program. This includes the recent federal-provincial partnership to extend the Investment in Affordable Housing program.
- Ontario is supporting the creation of over 20,000 affordable rental housing units, making more than 275,000 repairs and improvements to social and affordable housing units, and providing rental and down payment assistance to over 90,000 families and individuals.
Quotes
“We’re building on the success of the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative which has helped thousands of families and individuals dealing with homelessness gain and retain secure accommodation. This Initiative gives communities the flexibility to address local priorities and better meet the needs of individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.”
Ted McMeekin
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
“We know that homelessness costs Ontario’s economy and as part of our government’s plan to build Ontario up, we are looking at transforming programs and services for people, to ensure they are focused on outcomes for people. The Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative is a great example of how we streamlined five programs into one that responds to individual community needs and is delivering better results for people.”
Deb Matthews
Deputy Premier, Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy, President of the Treasury Board
NT5
