GUELPH – Wellington County will receive nearly $1.5 million over the next five years to support local efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness.
“Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Yet every day, vulnerable Canadians experience or are at risk of becoming homeless. The Government of Canada is taking action to help those in need, and make a real impact to reduce homelessness across Canada,” states a press release from the office of Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield announcing the funding.
Longfield made the announcement on behalf of Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos at the launch of Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, in Guelph on April 26. The release states Reaching Home will continue to support communities’ efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness in Canada. It will also support the goals of the National Housing Strategy, specifically the reduction of chronic homelessness nationally by 50 percent by 2027–2028.
Through Reaching Home, federal government aims to reinforce its community-based approach by delivering funding directly to municipalities and local service providers. Wellington County will receive funding of $1,050,709 under the designated communities stream as well as $435,200 for Community Capacity and Innovation funding for a combined total of $1,485,909 over the next five years.
The Community Capacity and Innovation funding supports innovative approaches to reduce and prevent homelessness and the Designated Communities funding provides long-term stable funding to communities that face significant issues with homelessness.
Under Reaching Home, the governmennt plans to expand the program’s reach by up to six new communities through an open and transparent application process, which is currently underway. The federal government also plans to work with communities to develop and deliver data-driven systems with clear outcomes. This new outcomes-based approach will keep decision making at the local level and give communities greater flexibility to address local priorities and achieve results for the most vulnerable within their communities, the release states.
A transition period is in place to ensure service continuity as communities implement the new elements of Reaching Home. Communities will have three years to introduce coordinated access systems to prioritize people who are most in need of housing and support services. The government states it is committed to supporting communities through the transformation by providing tools and access to training and technical assistance.
“The county looks forward to continuing to work with community partners in planning and administering the newly designed Federal homelessness program,” said Wellington County Warden Kelly Linton. “The increase in funding for Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, will provide new opportunities to support additional projects aiming to reduce the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in our community.”
“Guelph and the County of Wellington have been working together to reduce homelessness and find collaborative approaches to end the challenges across the country. I am pleased to see the government of Canada supporting our community through this investment,” said Longfield.
“When one person is forced to live on the streets, we’re all diminished. Homelessness is a reality for too many Canadians and a challenge for every Canadian community.”
The federal government has committed a total investment of $2.2 billion over 10 years to tackle homelessness.
