Housing, transit ‘huge’ issues for impoverished

YorkRegion.com
April 4, 2015
Chris Traber

Ontario’s commitment to infuse $587 million to help families and individuals at risk of homelessness get the housing that best suits their needs is a step in the right direction, albeit, a “drop in the bucket”, Poverty Action For Change Coalition chairperson Tom Pearson said.

Conversely, York Region Social Services general manager Cordelia Abankwa, whose department will receive $10.5 million from the province’s community homelessness prevention initiative, is buoyed by the support and the good it will do.

Pearson, a staunch anti-poverty advocate, reacted skeptically to Monday’s announcement. He suggested the government’s strategy has no timeline, its success is difficult to measure and it fails to recognize males, the largest homeless cohort in the region, and root causes of homelessness, including addictions.

In essence, Pearson would like Ontario to directly prop up those at risk.

Rather than fund stopgap measures, such as setting up emergency shelters for people in crisis, offering homelessness prevention programs and services, such as street outreach, food banks and transportation, Pearson wants to see the province give social assistance, welfare and Ontario Disability Support Program recipients a minimum $100 raise.

An extra $100 would help those on the brink of homelessness, he said.

“Keep the preventative programs in place, but bump up financial support,” he said. “Fewer people will fall off if you help bring them financially up to par to a livable level.”

Pearson noted York Region maintains a 12 to 15-per-cent demographic living under the poverty line. And, while some 90 per cent of homeless people are men, they have no significant transitional housing and are largely ignored by the system.

Abankwa couldn’t comment on Pearson’s idea to hike social service cheques, noting that would be a provincial decision.

“I do know that income is one thing and what is huge is housing and transit,” she said.

Ontario’s recent dollars, granted annually, give municipalities flexibility, she said. In York Region, the money is earmarked for rent banks, homelessness prevention, domiciliary hostels and emergency housing and energy funds.

Helping at-risk individuals and families is a monumental task, one that can’t be done alone, she said.

“We need the private sector and government levels to help us,” she said, alluding to the region’s $179 million social service budget, of which about 84 per cent is funded by government departments outside the region.

“We’re grateful for the funding. While it’s not new money, it’s ongoing money and will help with innovative programs.”

The region’s housing stability program is enhancing and advancing initiatives to prevent homelessness, she said. While Porter Place is the sole men’s emergency shelter, plans are underway to expand transition facilities for at-risk men.

By 2016, York will open Belinda’s Place, a dedicated women’s shelter, in Newmarket and a new youth hub in Richmond Hill that will add 14 emergency and 11 transitional beds. Richmond Hill will also be the site for an additional 202 affordable housing apartments next year, an augment to the existing inventory of more than 7,000 affordable or subsidized units.

But the wait list is huge, she said.

The region’s 10-year housing plan, launched in 2014, aims to add to the rental supply and calls for 25 per cent of all new housing to include affordable properties, Abankwa said.

The region’s model doesn’t merely cut cheques, she said.

“Our focus is on clients’ needs,” she said. “We work with clients, we plan, problem solve and make appropriate referrals. We work with public health, landlords and outreach services.

“We’re focused on housing that is legal and safe.”

Last year, her department served more than 2,000 households.

“Eighty seven per cent of all clients remained housed,” she said, hinting new initiatives will be forthcoming in the near future.

As of March 31, 2014, the community homelessness prevention initiative has helped more than 33,100 families and individuals experiencing homelessness obtain housing and has helped about 83,800 families and individuals at-risk of homelessness remain in their homes, Ontario’s release stated.

As the most populous city in the province, with a large and diverse number of families and individuals at risk of homelessness, Toronto will receive $223 million over two years, the release said.

Since 2003, Ontario has committed more than $4 billion to affordable housing programs. This includes the recent federal-provincial partnership to extend the investment in affordable housing program. Further, Ontario is supporting the creation of more than 20,000 affordable rental housing units, making more than 275,000 repairs and improvements to social and affordable housing units, and providing rental and down payment assistance to more than 90,000 families and individuals.