Homeless Prevention Program (HPP) 2022-23 Allocation

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Office of the Minister
777 Bay Street, 17th Floor
Toronto ON M7A 2J3

March 7, 2022

Bruce Killah
Board Chair, Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board
210 Mead Boulevard
Espanola, Ontario, P5E 1R9

Dear Bruce Killah:

I am pleased to be writing to you today with important details regarding funding for the 2022-23 fiscal year, including the redesign of several of the Ministry’s key
homelessness prevention and supportive housing programs, an extension to the provincial Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF), and an update on the next phase of National Housing Strategy (NHS) investments.

As part of our government’s commitment to increasing affordable housing options and reducing homelessness, we are projecting to invest almost $1.1 billion in 2022-23, which will help sustain, repair and grow community housing, and address homelessness across Ontario. A table of your 2022-23 allocations is provided at the end of this letter.

Homeless Prevention Program (HPP)

I am happy to announce that the Ministry is consolidating the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, Home For Good and the Strong Communities Rent Supplement Program into one flexible Homelessness Prevention Program, beginning April 1, 2022. We are also increasing our investment by nearly $25 million, bringing total provincial funding under the Homelessness Prevention Program to over $463 million.

The Homelessness Prevention Program will drive progress in addressing chronic homelessness across the province and will provide your staff with greater flexibility to support a wide range of homelessness prevention and supportive housing activities. Funding will provide housing assistance and support services to vulnerable populations to prevent chronic homelessness and support recipients to remain stably housed over time. It will also provide staff with the necessary flexibility to fund capital projects and provide longer-term rental assistance as appropriate.
 
This program responds to feedback from Service Managers during engagement the Multi-Ministry Supportive Housing Initiative to streamline programs, reduce the administrative burden and provide additional flexibility in how funding can be used to meet the unique needs of each community.
This funding allocation replaces your previously communicated 2022-23 funding under the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, Home For Good, and the Strong Communities Rent Supplement Program. This allocation is to be used in accordance with the enclosed Program Guidelines and is contingent on the completion and Ministry approval of an initial Investment Plan. You are also required to return a signed Transfer Payment Agreement to the Ministry prior to receiving their first payment under the Homelessness Prevention Program.

To make further progress in allocating funding to meet local need, the ministry intends to review the funding allocation methodology for the overall HPP funding envelope. In this process, new and updated data sources and new indicators may be identified for consideration, including identifying indicators to replace the outdated historic spending portion of the model. Part of the recommendations for the new methodology will likely include consistently using the most up-to-date data available to the Ministry. The Ministry intends to consult with Service Managers. Further details regarding consultation and next steps will be communicated in 2022-23. Please see program attachments for additional information on the program.

Please find enclosed the HPP Transfer Payment Agreement and return it to the Ministry to confirm your agreement to the terms and conditions of the program. Upon receipt of the signed Investment Plan and Transfer Payment Agreement, the Ministry will proceed to initiate your first payments.

The Ministry requires that all information set out in this letter regarding the Homelessness Prevention Program be held confidential until publicly announced by the province. The province will have sole responsibility for the initial public communication regarding the HPP funding described in this letter.

Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF)

Our government has provided over $1 billion through the SSRF since March 2020 for emergency housing and homelessness program supports. This investment is:

• supporting over 6,000 temporary shelter and isolation spaces,
• providing 10,000 households with temporary financial assistance so they can stay in their homes, and
• creating and repairing over 4,000 housing and shelter units.

Building on this success, I am pleased to advise that additional SSRF funding is being made available to help sustain vital services for vulnerable Ontarians, including housing and homelessness programs. More details of funding allocations and program materials will be available in the coming weeks.
  
The evidence is clear – the SSRF program is doing a lot of good in Ontario’s communities. That is why I am calling on the federal government to match our SSRF investment so that we can continue to address the housing and homelessness needs of our most vulnerable Ontarians, help municipalities and Indigenous community partners deliver critical services and create longer-term housing solutions and keep people safe.

National Housing Strategy Investments

We continue to negotiate with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation on the next phase of NHS including the province’s fair share of federal funding.

Currently, federal allocations to Ontario reflect the provincial share of the national population of 38 percent even though we have just over 44 percent of households nationally living in core housing need. I will continue to advocate for a funding allocation based on need with the federal government. Once negotiations with the federal government are concluded, we will announce allocations covering the next Action Plan period.

Your 2022-23 planned allocations for COCHI, OPHI and COHB provided in August 2021 remain unchanged. These allocations are subject to final agreement with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation which we expect to secure shortly. Key program design elements will also remain unchanged. Further details will follow in the coming weeks.

Again, I am pleased to be writing to you today to share this exciting news about the Ministry’s key homelessness prevention and supportive housing programming. As always, we sincerely appreciate your efforts to assist vulnerable people in your communities, and I look forward to continuing our work together as we move forward on these important changes.

Sincerely,
 
Steve Clark 
Minister

Enclosures
c. Fern Dominelli, Chief Administrative Officer
Fern Dominelli, Chief Administrative Officer
Liana Bacon, Team Lead, Municipal Services Office

Appendix “A”
2022-23 Fiscal Year Planned Funding Allocations – Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board

*subject to final agreement with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.