The federal government is directly funding Durham Region with $6.4 million to address homelessness and support people living in encampments.
“Durham Region is pleased to share that we have received $6.4 million in federal Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampment Initiative funding to help address homelessness in our communities,” said a region alert yesterday.
Despite efforts to establish a collaborative agreement between the federal and provincial governments to support vulnerable populations, Ontario was unable to reach a deal in time to allocate funding before winter. As a result, the federal government funded key municipalities instead.
The federal government has announced agreements with nine Ontario municipalities, including Durham.
In total, the federal government is delivering over $88 million to Ontario municipalities. This funding is in addition to investments through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, which has allocated $1.6 billion for Ontario.
Impact on Durham and Community Support Initiatives
Funding will support the implementation of Community Encampment Response Plan, aimed at providing immediate assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness. Each municipality’s plan is tailored to its specific needs, and funding will support a range of activities, including:
- Creating new shelter spaces to address the urgent need for housing.
- Expanding transitional housing options to help individuals move toward stable, long-term housing.
- Providing case management services to assist people in securing and maintaining permanent housing.
These efforts will strengthen Durham Region’s capacity to respond to homelessness and ensure that vulnerable populations receive necessary resources and support.
Future Agreements Expected
The federal government has indicated that more agreements with provinces and territories will be announced in the coming weeks. These partnerships aim to enhance homelessness response efforts nationwide, ensuring that municipalities like Durham receive the support needed to implement effective housing and social services strategies.
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Good! They should build subsidized housing and give tax breaks to potential developers so that we can have more affordable housing for low income households which includes single parents and the elderly!
Canada has a growing aging population and we as a society are failing them!