Province doubles homelessness prevention funding for Haldimand-Norfolk

The good news for Haldimand-Norfolk's homelessness prevention team began in January when the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation gave the rural counties $2.4 million over three years to speed up repairs and upgrades to hundreds of affordable housing units.

Then in the spring, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing committed nearly $11 million over three years to address homelessness in the region.

The $3.6 million in provincial money added to this year's budget - almost double the original $1.7 million allocated by Queen's Park - will get more of the most vulnerable members of our community" into emergency shelters and supportive housing, said Stephanie Rice, acting director of social services and housing with Haldimand-Norfolk Health and Social Services.

This is extraordinary news for Haldimand-Norfolk," Rice told councillors at the May 29 health and social services committee meeting.

The money will allow Rice's department to significantly increase funding for programs like the Housing Stability Bank, which helps people stave off eviction by covering their rent and overdue utility bills.

A lot of our work is done behind the scenes in preventing eviction and preventing homelessness in the first place," Rice said.

Not only can the department confidently continue offering shelter beds in Jarvis and fully fund a warming centre in downtown Simcoe this winter, but the provincial money will pay for 24-hour security and hot meals at the Jarvis shelter and fund more shelter spaces at other locations.

The five-person homelessness prevention team will double in size this year - an overdue staffing boost, Rice said, as homelessness in Haldimand-Norfolk continues to rise, leaving employees overworked and burnt out.

We are working beyond capacity now," she said.

With more staff on hand, someone will always be available to pick up emergency calls to the homelessness prevention intake line, and staff members will also be able to go out in pairs when safety is a concern.

Employees are currently forced to go into potentially dangerous situations by themselves or with a police escort to respond to people with complex" needs who are in crisis.

Having more staff resources means we can do that more efficiently and be on the ground in the communities more often," said Heidy Van Dyk, Norfolk's general manager of corporate services.

The money will also come in handy when it is time to conduct the next survey of homelessness, Rice said.

While some other municipalities also received more provincial money, Haldimand-Norfolk was unique across the province" in having its funding doubled, Rice noted.

We feel very strongly that this is a reflection of the work the team has done," she said, crediting her team's efforts to illustrate the challenge of addressing homelessness in a far-flung rural area.

The department used the homelessness census and data on service delivery to make its case to Queen's Park, Van Dyk said.

In an email, a ministry spokesperson said the increase to Haldimand-Norfolk's homelessness prevention funding was made to better reflect local need" as part of a broader investment in improving access to housing for Ontarians.

J.P. Antonacci's reporting on Haldimand and Norfolk is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. jpantonacci@thespec.com