Gray County has weighed in on this week’s Affiliation of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) report on homelessness, saying important funding and coordination throughout all three ranges of presidency is required to resolve the difficulty.
In a media launch, the County mentioned a time limit rely in 2024 revealed 375 people experiencing homelessness in Gray County. The waitlist for sponsored housing has additionally grown from 1,517 in 2022 to 2,230 in 2024.
Gray County has been placing funds towards housing assist, investing $6.55 million since 2022 in tasks like the acquisition and renovation of a property in Owen Sound for supportive housing and the acquisition of a former motel for short-term emergency shelter.
However citing the AMO’s report, a majority of the funding for housing and homelessness in Ontario final yr got here from municipalities.
“Gray County can’t finish power homelessness with out important contributions from the federal and provincial governments,” mentioned Gray County Warden Andrea Matrosovs. “We’d like a essentially new method that prioritizes long-term housing options over short-term emergency measures, and ample funding assist to create options for our county’s rural and city communities.”
Transferring ahead, the County has dedicated $3 million to assist Lutheran Social Companies Owen Sound with an reasonably priced housing construct in Owen Sound, in addition to working to construct 40 items of reasonably priced housing in Dundalk. Each tasks are contingent on provincial funding.
