United Way Investing $1.8 Million Into Eight Community Partners Addressing Critical Needs For Homelessness
/United Way Peterborough has invested $1,798,667 in eight community partners to address critical needs to help end homelessness announced at the John Howard Society on Thursday morning.
48,914 people aided during the 2021-22 United Way Peterborough Campaign. Photo by David Tuan BUi.
The government-funded money is part of the ‘Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy.’
The funding runs through until March 31 next year.
“We all have a stake morally, economically and in particular as a human rights issue to end homelessness,” Jim Russell, United Way Peterborough CEO.
The following are the eight organizations being funded:
Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR)
Community Counselling and Resource Centre (CCRC)
Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough (EFry)
One City Peterborough
Fourcast
John Howard Society of Peterborough
Research for Social Change Lab - Trent University
Peterborough Housing Corporation
This funding has been provided in addition to the ongoing, multi-year Reaching Home partnerships that the United Way holds with YES Shelter for Youth and Families, Fourcast and the Elizabeth Fry Society according to a press release.
"Our current shelter system is strained to meet the needs of all those community members experiencing homelessness. It is imperative that any investment is strategic, encourages partnerships, and puts the needs of those individuals, our neighbours, at the forefront of service and intervention" said Russell.
The following are the program descriptions and funding amounts:
Pilot Garden Home Project - $150,000 (CMHA HKPR)
СМНА HKPR will enter into an agreement of purchase and sale with Metrosuites Inc., to build a modular pre-built garden home, that would be constructed and delivered as a turnkey one-bedroom building suitable for one individual currently on the City of Peterborough's by-name-priority list
Finding Home - $488,489 (CMHA HKPR, CCRC and One City)
Support individuals who have been identified as being involved with Housing Unit Takeovers (HUTS), both the individual legally entitled to the unit and the individuals ‘squatting’. Through the coordination of services, the three organizations will work with the individuals involved in the HUTS to reach out and support them in a variety of ways with the ultimate goal of connecting them to appropriate housing.
Pathway Peer Housing Program - $257,034 (EFry)
This project expands the ‘Wings of Change’ program to include criminalized men experiencing homelessness. EFry will employ a Housing coordinator and a housing worker with lived experience to provide secure safe/stable housing for criminalized men, with priority given to Indigenous men. The housing worker will assist with housing searches, provide advocacy and landlord mediation and housing rights training.
Reaching Home Stabilization Fund - $139,808 (Fourcast)
The funding will be used to support and retain three to four identified landlords who are interested in housing clients on the By-Name-Priority List. The project will provide a dedicated fund to mitigate costs such as property damages due to tenant behaviour or the actions of guests wanted or otherwise) or hostile unit takeovers. Funds will also be used to fund the "Bridge Housing Option", a short-term accommodation designed to transition people from homelessness to permanent housing.
Actualizing Community as a Housing Strategy - $235,977 (One City)
The project aims to provide better and more affordable housing by Building Client Capacity, Improving Agency Capacity and Increasing Community Capacity. To achieve these, funding for the project will be used to:
Hire a full-time case manager (Resident Life
Coordinator) to provide care in a 24/7 supervised house, giving residents a consistent support system and point of contact
Hire a part-time Housing Support Worker position to increase the current capacity of One City's housing team
Hire a capacity-building position, housed at One City and working jointly with John Howard as well as other community organizations providing housing services to explore community-building strategies within congregate housing
Community Homes - $219,000 (One City)
The funding will be used towards the purchase and renovation of a house on Collison Crescent as an eight-bed facility which will provide transitional/supportive housing for individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Hunt Terrace Supportive Housing - $197,512 (Peterborough Housing Corporation)
The project commits 40 units of The Hunt Terrace building at 555 Bonaccord St. as inventory to the Corporation City of Peterborough's By Name Priority List of people experiencing chronic homelessness, broken down as follows:
20 units dedicated to Alternative Level of Care (ALC) beds from Peterborough Regional Health Centre
Six units are dedicated to the VON wait list for people requiring assisted living services
15 units dedicated to the City of Peterborough By Name List of people experiencing homelessness
Stop Gap - Overnight Drop In - $61,659 (One City Peterborough)
This funding is supporting One City's operation of Stop Gap, the overnight drop-in program at Trinity United Church. The program operates between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., seven 7 days a week, from Jan. 16 until April 30.
Investigating Shelter (In)Justice in Peterborough - $49,188 (Research for Social Change Lab and Trent University)
Documenting how Peterborough's Coordinated Access System works in practice.
