Newmarket-Aurora MPP Ballard announces funding to help address poverty

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 16, 2015
By Teresa Latchford

Two York Region poverty projects are getting a funding boost from the provincial government.

Newmarket-Aurora MPP Chris Ballard paid a visit to the Aurora-based Community and Home Assistance to Seniors (CHATS) office to announce proposals from the organization and from The Boys and Girls Club will receive funding from the province’s Local Poverty Reduction Fund.

“By supporting their projects, the government is investing in creating a body of evidence that will help us measurably reduce poverty in Ontario,” Ballard said. “Not only will these projects benefit York Region but we will be able to take the information and use it in other places in the province.”

CHATS will receive $205,000 over two years to help vulnerable seniors at risk of increased poverty and homelessness due to hoarding to remain safely in their homes, improve their quality of life and their health. By partnering with other organizations, the initiative will provide 60 seniors with a range of supports including home support workers and cleaning services, mental health support and rehabilitation services to reduce their risk of losing their tenancy.

“Many frail and cognitively impaired seniors living in these unsafe conditions face eviction from their homes and when these seniors lose their tenancy, it becomes difficult to secure again,” CHATS CEO Christina Bisanz said. “This project will help them deep clean and deal with the mental health issues that cause the hoarding.”

The Boys and Girls Club of York Region will be receiving $571,600 over the next three years to support the launch of the V.I.C.T.O.R.Y. (Vibrant and Innovative Community Taskforce Offering Resources for Youth) project.

The afterschool program will offer nutrition, recreation and skill-building programs to local youth from newcomer and single parent families, to help them succeed in school and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, according to Programs and Services Director Adrian Bain.

“We believe that with the support of various sectors as well as building local partnerships throughout our communities, the project can and will have a positive outcome on the youth we service along with their families,” he added.

The hope is to put forth a collaborative effort and detailed evaluation approach to be better equipped to help prevent and lift youth and their families out of poverty.

The project will operate out of six locations across the region.

The provincial funding is coming from the Local Poverty Reduction Fund, a $50 million, six-year initiative that support community driven projects that will improve the lives of those disproportionately affected by poverty.

Organizations have two more opportunities to apply for funding in 2016 and 2017.