Ontario helps protect those most vulnerable in Brantford – Brant from impacts of COVID-19

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Ontario helps protect those most vulnerable in Brantford – Brant from impacts of COVID-19

BRANTFORD, ON – The Ontario government is providing municipalities and Indigenous community partners with over $241 million to help protect the province’s most vulnerable from the impacts of COVID-19, including those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Today, MPP Will Bouma announced that The City of Brantford will receive $1,919,022.00 in social services relief funding for two streams as follows:

  1. Operating Funding: Funding for a temporary isolation facility, medical support program, cleaning, personal protective equipment, security, staffing, and information technology (IT) devices/software.
  2. Capital Funding: Upgrades and retrofitting existing emergency shelters.

Locally, the funds will be used for:

  • The operation of a COVID ‘isolation’ shelter including contracted shelter staffing, food, linens, cleaning, and facility lease.
  • Shelter Supplies including Personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies for enhance disinfecting protocols
  • Food Security partnerships with local agencies for emergency food distribution in City and County
  • Enhancements to the Brantford Housing Stability Fund to help prevent COVID related evictions
  • Capital upgrades to existing facilities including Nova Vita, Youth Resource Centre and Salvation Army Booth Centre

“Our government is investing in important projects like this to help protect our most vulnerable citizens from COVID-19,” said Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma. “We’re working hand in hand with our partners to make sure they have the tools and flexibility they need to keep people safe.”

“As the social assistance and homelessness service provider for both The City of Brantford and The County of Brant, the City is grateful for the additional provincial funding support to strengthen our local COVID-19 response for individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness,” said Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis. “This funding will improve our community’s co-ordinated COVID-19 community homelessness response plan, the primary objective of which is to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 among individuals experiencing homelessness, both within and outside the Emergency Shelter system. Key to the plan’s success is creating new spaces for individuals who have no home in which to quarantine or self-isolate if required.”

“We are grateful for the City’s administration of the various social assistance programs and to the Province for the additional funding to further enhance our community plan to protect individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness,” said County of Brant Mayor David Bailey. “It is more important than ever during challenging times such as these, that we do everything we can to help those who are most vulnerable in our communities.”

The provincial funding is part of the government’s $510 million investment to help protect the health and safety of the province’s most vulnerable people. Funding will be delivered through the Social Services Relief Fund and will go towards protecting and supporting homeless shelter staff and residents, creating or renovating over 1,500 housing units, expanding rent support programs and creating longer-term housing solutions.

“We know that our municipal and Indigenous partners are facing extraordinary challenges, which is why these significant investments are so important,” said Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark. “Our investments are helping to build longer term solutions as well as meet ongoing, immediate needs related to COVID-19.”

The Social Services Relief Fund is part of the up to $4 billion being provided to Ontario municipalities under the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement. It will help municipalities protect the health and well-being of the people of Ontario while delivering critical public services, such as public transit and shelters, as the province continues down the path of economic recovery.

QUICK FACTS

  • In March, Ontario launched the Social Services Relief Fund with an initial $148 million investment to help protect the health and safety of the province’s most vulnerable people in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. In July, an additional $150 million was committed to help improve shelters and create opportunities for longer-term housing. In August, Ontario committed another $212 million in funding, bringing the government’s assistance to service managers and Indigenous program administrators to $510 million.
  • Ontario’s service managers and Indigenous program administrators help provide shelter or housing for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, victims of domestic violence, and members of Indigenous communities who are in need.
  • In September, the Ontario government passed the Helping Tenants and Small Businesses Act, which freezes rent in 2021 for the vast majority of Ontario’s 1.7 million renters in both rent-controlled and non-rent-controlled residential units.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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For more information please contact:

Milan Novakovic
Sr. Advisor and Exec. Assistant
Milan.novakovic@pc.ola.org
(519) 759-0361

Maria Visocchi
Director, Communications and Community Engagement
mvisocchi@brantford.ca
(519) 732-9305