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
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.