10.4 Supportive Housing

POLICY

The vision of the Homelessness Prevention Program is to provide the necessary resources to establish a coordinated housing and homelessness system so the people at risk of or experiencing homelessness have the housing and support services that they need to retain and/or obtain stable housing and achieve better outcomes.

The goals of the Homelessness Prevention Program are to:

1.Prevent homelessness: people at risk of homelessness remain housed and have connections to support services
2.Address homelessness: people who are homeless and chronically homeless obtain and retain housing and support services
3.Reduce chronic homelessness: reduction in chronic homelessness

Supportive Housing 

Supportive housing combines long-term housing assistance (e.g. rent supplements, housing allowances) with individualized, flexible, and ongoing support services (e.g., counselling, life skills training, activities of daily living, behaviour supports) to enable people to live as independently as possible in their community.

PROCEDURE

The eligible expenses listed below would be supported through partnership agreements with eligible service providers. Service providers who wish to establish a partnership agreement must make their request in writing to the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board.

A.Operating

Housing assistance for people in supportive housing.

• Ongoing/long-term housing assistance including rent supplements and housing allowances provided as part of supportive housing.

Support services for people in supportive housing including:

• Mental health and addiction supports including assessment, support, treatment, withdrawal and counselling services; case management and navigation; delivery of harm reduction activities, prevention, interventions and recovery related supports.
• Other health-related supports not covered until Mental Health and Addiction supports including community nursing, community paramedicine, assistance with medication and wellness/health promotion activities and education.
• Life skills development and daily living supports including life skills development such as budgeting, assistance with personal care, daily living supports such as housekeeping, laundry, cooking and shopping and assistance to access education, training, employment or income support.
• Culturally relevant supports for Indigenous people, including traditional supports and activities with the goal of increasing cultural connections and an individual’s sense of belonging, supports to access traditional or culturally sensitive healing services.
• Other supports not included above for people in supportive housing including costs to reduce the potential for infection and transmission in congregate supportive housing settings such as the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment.
• Minor retrofits or upgrades to existing supportive housing facilities with a total funding request of up to $50,000.
• Residential services homes, costs associated with providing housing in Residential Services Homes, necessary basic needs (e.g. food, clothing, blankets, hygiene items and other essentials), onsite daily supports and services (e.g. meals, laundry and cleaning services and assistance with personal care and medication.

B.Capital

New Facilities

• Acquisition and where required, rehabilitation of existing buildings to create transitional housing or permanent supportive housing.
• Conversion of existing buildings to create transitional or permanent supportive housing.
• Expansion of an existing transitional housing or permanent supportive housing facility.
• Conventional or modular construction of a new permanent supportive or transitional housing facility or expansion of a current transitional or permanent supportive housing construction project-in-progress to increase capacity.

Retrofits

• Renovation, retrofitting, repair and upgrading of existing transitional housing and permanent supportive housing facilities, for example to meet building code standards and public health requirements.  (Note that retrofit/renovation costs below $50,000 should be considered as an operating expense)