The Ontario government says it has begun flowing as much as $75.5 million to municipalities to assist them take away encampments in public areas.
The federal government stated in a information launch Monday that these funds, which had been initially introduced late final yr, will assist cities and cities create extra emergency shelter areas and inexpensive housing models and “assist restore security and order” to Ontario’s parks and different public areas.
“Our authorities has delivered important help to municipalities to deal with the challenges encampments can pose to public security throughout Ontario,” Housing Minister Paul Calandra stated within the launch.
“Mayors have requested us for extra assist and now we have been clear that we’ll present funding to municipalities that present leads to winding down these websites. We will now not settle for encampments as a spot to take care of mental health and addiction points.”
The province stated the funding that’s being flowed to municipalities consists of $50 million for ready-to-build inexpensive housing tasks, allotted based mostly on how shut a venture is to completion and its worth for cash, in addition to to assist tasks close to completion which are in want of extra funding to open their doorways sooner.
Additionally, $20 million shall be given to cities to develop shelter capability and create extra short-term lodging areas. Lastly, Ontario will make investments $5.5 million to prime up the Canada-Ontario Housing Profit (COHB) to unencumber emergency shelter areas for individuals dwelling in encampments.
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Earlier this month, the group representing a lot of the province’s municipalities issued a warning that Ontario’s homelessness disaster is “at a tipping point.”
The Affiliation of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) stated in a report that the recorded variety of homeless individuals is ticking in direction of 100,000, significantly within the southern elements of the province.
In accordance with the municipal affiliation’s numbers, greater than 81,000 individuals in Ontario skilled homelessness final yr. That’s a rise of 51 per cent in contrast with the roughly 53,000 individuals recorded in 2016 and a 25 per cent improve since 2022.
AMO stated the report is proof large change is required in how the Ford authorities handles homelessness — and housing extra typically – estimating native governments spent $2.1 billion on homelessness and housing final yr alone, funding that’s typically drawn from property tax revenues.
After months of strain, Ontario introduced its resolution to homeless encampments on the finish of final yr.
Except for the funds shared Monday, it unveiled new powers for police and a risk to native service managers who fail to take care of homeless websites of their cities.
The invoice — which has not but handed — is set to strengthen penalties for people who repeatedly break trespass laws and permit police and provincial offences officers to ticket or arrest individuals utilizing unlawful medicine in public, with penalties of as much as $10,000 or six months in jail.
The AMO report estimates Ontario must spend an additional $11 billion over the subsequent decade on 75,000 inexpensive and supportive housing models, whereas one other $2 billion is required to accommodate encampment residents.
–with information from Isaac Callan and Colin D’Mello
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