District to receive $761K increase in funding over next two years.
Maureen Callaghan told a sad, but all too true story.
In the backdrop of a feel-good announcement of the District of Muskoka receiving a financial hike over the next two years for homelessness prevention programming, the district manager of homelessness prevention told the story of a senior now living at a motel, someone she hopes to help with the additional financial support.
“He’s been at the motel for the last 18 months. Prior to that, he’d been happily renting from a landlord. And so in the fall of 2021, the landlord made the decision to sell the house … Without any family or other options, he became homeless and has been assisted by the district to move into a motel where he’s currently receiving services. This extra funding will allow us to continue to have him access to affordable food security programs, access to preventive health care services like foot care and housing assistance … so that he can realize his dream to find appropriate and affordable housing,” she said.
This story was relayed to a small audience gathered at the district council chambers on May 2 to hear official remarks on the funding, first announced mid-April. The district is receiving a funding boost of $761,600 to support Muskoka’s Homelessness Prevention Program through 2023 to 2024.
The Ontario government is investing an additional $202 million annually in the province’s Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program. The Muskoka portion represents a 58 per cent increase in funding to the local homeless program.blob:https://rampupmuskoka.ca/1627064c-b098-440a-b750-1830ff651fd0
“Today is so much more than the funding announcement. It represents an investment … I can’t thank you enough,” Callaghan said, turning to Parry Sound—Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith.
Arfona Zwiers, the commissioner of community and planning services for the district, said “every single penny will be put to good use, along with the significant municipal funding of over $570,000, which was recently approved in the district’s tax-supported budget.”
According to a district report, since 2019, the number of people in Muskoka requiring help for emergency and transitional housing has doubled. The number of shelter nights has increased by 607 per cent from 2019 to 2022, and the cost for the shelter nights has increased by 510 per cent from 2019 to 2022.
Brent Cooper – muskokaregion.com – Tuesday, May 2, 2023