Simcoe County working towards plan to address homelessness
Like many regions across the country, Simcoe County is working towards a solution to end homelessness and create more affordable housing.
The homelessness prevention strategy it's working on outlines a plan with 10 steps needed to increase support and decrease homelessness in the future.
The plan focuses on items like rent subsidy, which would be increased to $600-$800, increasing housing programs, enhancing shelter standards and implementing a centralized intake system.
The County is putting $9 million towards the plan, received through provincial funding.
"I do think that this is an incredibly important time, as we are equipped with the opportunity to improve the services significantly, better measure them and be more informed on what to do," said Mina Fayez-Bahgat, County of Simcoe general manager of community and social services.
"This is where our outreach and our safety and community engagement strategies will be key, and this is where the coordinates and towns will be pivotal points in delivering this."
For staff at the Lighthouse in Orillia, the need to increase support for the community's most vulnerable is vital.
"They just need help; they need compassion," said Linda Goodall, Lighthouse's executive director.
The help she is referring to is offering people a safe space to sleep while providing supportive programming at a time when demand is increasing, with over 1,000 people currently homeless in Simcoe County.
"They are people just like us. So, we need to provide that dignity and help them the best we possibly can," Goodall said.
So far, seven local shelters have submitted applications for increased programming, while the County plans to present its plan to both Barrie and Orillia councillors this week.
When it comes to the timeline of when this strategy will be finalized and when the programs will receive that funding, the County expects it to be completed by early fall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.