25 March 2024
Brandon Pollari and Ward 2 Coun. Luke Dufour attend key ceremony at Affordable Home Ownership Program at 222 Brown St., in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (BRIAN KELLY/THE SAULT STAR/POSTMEDIA NETWORK)
By: The Sault Star - Published Apr 11, 2023
The Sault Ste. Marie District Social Services Advisory Board is receiving just more than $5 million under the Ontario government’s Homelessness Prevention Program.
The allocation represents an increase of 177 per cent over the 2022 allocation of $1.84 million.
The funding is part of the province putting an additional $202 million into the program and the Indigenous Supporting Housing Program, bringing the total close to $700 million, says a press release from Sault MPP Ross Romano’s office.
“I am very happy to see such a tremendous increase in funding to prevent homelessness in our community” said Romano in the release. “This $5.1 million in funding will allow our partners at the DSSAB to continue their strong work protecting our communities most vulnerable people.”
“It is paramount that we provide assistance to vulnerable community members most in need of support, and I want to recognize the Ontario government for substantially increasing the funding it provides to the Sault Ste. Marie District Social Services Advisory Board through the Homelessness Prevention Program,” said Mayor Matthew Shoemaker. “The city is committed to aggressively lobbying for the support our community partners need to offer programs and services that are making a difference in our community.”
“Our community is experiencing a mental health, addictions and homelessness crisis and people need help,” said Luke Dufour, Chair of DSSAB. “This funding will allow social services to begin to offer supportive housing, enhanced housing and shelter services.”
The additional funding, announced in the 2023 budget, represents a 40-per-cent increase in funding by the government to support the most vulnerable by providing supportive housing and homelessness prevention services. Under the $202 million, $190.5 million each year will be allocated to the Homelessness Prevention Program which gives Ontario’s 47 service managers greater flexibility to allocate funding and make better use of existing resources to focus on delivering supports.
The remaining $11.5 million each year will go toward the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program (ISHP), which provides Indigenous-led, culturally appropriate long-term housing solutions and support services to Indigenous people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The Algoma District Social Services Advisory Board will receive an allocation of just more than $3 million and the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board will receive $2.5 million.