The federal authorities has bypassed Ontario to provide homelessness funding on to cities, together with about $10.5 million over two years for initiatives in Ottawa.
The division of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities stated Wednesday it couldn’t attain a cope with the province earlier than winter, so it is going forward with particular person offers for 10 municipalities.
That information introduced a sigh of aid to employees at Ottawa metropolis corridor.
“We’re hoping we are able to get the funding authorized pretty rapidly,” Clara Freire, the town’s basic handle of neighborhood and social companies, instructed CBC on Wednesday. “The bottom line is to work now on a technique to implement, which can take a while, particularly if we’re taking a look at some capital improvement.”
Freire stated the funding will go towards the town’s $14-million encampment technique.
WATCH | How Ottawa frontline employees are maintaining folks secure from the chilly:
How front-line employees in Ottawa attempt to assist folks keep secure within the chilly
With the town in one other deep freeze, CBC’s Natalia Goodwin took a tour with employees from the Ottawa Mission. A word: CBC has agreed to solely use the employees’ first names attributable to privateness considerations.
Town has been targeted on addressing a rising homelessness downside for years, and created an emergency process power in 2023 to alleviate overwhelmed shelters and save lives that might be misplaced in Ottawa’s harsh winters.
However with an inflow of recent arrivals including strain to the strained system, the town is angling for extra assist.
“We all know that about 60 per cent of our shelter system inhabitants is newcomers, and that is simply one thing we can’t maintain,” stated Coun. Laura Dudas, a member of the metropolis’s emergency shelter disaster process power.
“We have to tackle that. We have to present extra choices together with not simply shelters however transitional housing, and the town is transferring at a really speedy tempo.”
Town continues to be negotiating particulars of a funding proposal to quickly home and help refugees and asylum seekers. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has instructed CBC it has to date supplied $40.4 million to help “numerous parts” of the plan.
Plan to spice up shelters this winter
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe instructed reporters Wednesday that this funding will go “a great distance” towards supporting the town’s newest plans, which embrace boosting shelter capability and including 400 new beds of transitional housing.
“It is very difficult proper now. The wants are rising and we wish to be as responsive as attainable. We do not need folks sleeping exterior in our neighborhood,” he stated. “Each quantity of help helps.”
Dudas stated metropolis employees responded to 375 encampments in 2023, with most inhabitants prepared to depart voluntarily.
Town’s plan for this winter goals to make sure these leaving the streets have someplace to go by boosting shelter capability and including 400 new beds in transitional housing — items the place folks reside momentary as they give the impression of being for a everlasting dwelling.
Ottawa is working a brief emergency shelter from a federal constructing at 250 Lanark Ave., although its lease will expire on the finish of subsequent month. It is in search of different alternatives to utilize surplus authorities properties.
Town bought an empty workplace tower on Queen Avenue that it transitioned into momentary lodging, in addition to a former convent, and is now additionally working a transitional housing property out of a downtown YMCA.
WATCH | Take a tour of a former workplace constructing that is turning into transitional housing:
Take tour of an workplace constructing being transformed into transitional housing
Town of Ottawa is changing an workplace constructing in Ottawa’s downtown into transitional housing. Rebecca Zandbergen received a have a look at the work underway at 230 Queen.
