Ontario Allocates $587 Million to Help End Homelessness

Building on Success of the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative

Ontario is partnering with municipalities across the province to prevent and address homelessness.

Through the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, the province is providing $587 million to municipalities to help families and individuals at risk of homelessness get the housing that best suits their needs. This funding will enable communities to offer a wider range of services to meet their local needs, including:

• Setting up emergency shelters for people in crisis.
• Offering homelessness prevention programs like providing emergency financial assistance to prevent eviction.
• Providing a mix of long-term and transitional housing.
• Other support services like street outreach, food banks and transportation.

As of March 31, 2014, the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative has helped over 33,100 families and individuals experiencing homelessness obtain housing, and has helped approximately 83,800 families and individuals at-risk of homelessness remain in their homes.

Providing support to address homelessness supports the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.