The Ontario government is investing an additional $25 million annually in a new Homelessness Prevention Program. It is expected to help more people experiencing or at risk of homelessness find the right housing services and other supports.
The new program will simplify and streamline operations so municipal service managers can spend less time on paperwork and more time working with their clients to help find housing and other supports
The Homelessness Prevention Program launching on April 1, 2022, combines three programs: Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, Home for Good, and the Strong Communities Rent Supplement Program. The additional funding brings Ontario’s total yearly investment in the program to close to $464 million - almost half a billion dollars.
“Our government inherited a homelessness prevention system administered through several different government programs that was underfunded, fragmented and overly complex,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “With Ontario’s new Homelessness Prevention Program, we are simplifying the delivery of services and increasing funding so our municipal partners can spend more time focusing on providing vulnerable Ontarians with the supports they need to stay in their homes or get the housing they need.”
It will give service managers more flexibility to target funding where it is needed the most and allow for greater financial accountability by measuring service managers’ progress in reducing and preventing homelessness in their communities.
Access to this funding will be based on having in place a By-Name List that meets the provincial requirements and contains detailed, up-to-date information from individuals experiencing homelessness to help connect them to local supports.
The government is also investing an additional $6.7 million in the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program, bringing the total annual investment to $30 million.
“Our government recognizes how important culturally appropriate housing is for Indigenous communities, and how critical these services are to improving the physical, mental and social well-being of Indigenous people across Ontario,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs. “Through the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program, our government is more than doubling Ontario’s annual investment in Indigenous supportive housing, to ensure those at-risk for homelessness have access to the resources they need and deserve.”
The shortage of housing supply impacts all Ontarians, no matter their background or budget. The province’s ongoing work to increase the supply of market housing complements historic investments to increase the supply of supportive and affordable housing for the most vulnerable. As part of the consultations through the Community Housing Renewal Strategy, the government is working with service managers and housing providers to make community housing more efficient and sustainable – helping to protect essential community housing stock and ensure Ontario’s most vulnerable people remain housed.