Dufferin County to benefit from provincial fund designed to assist the homeless

November 5, 2020 · 0 Comments

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Dufferin County will be receiving $724,966 from the Ontario government as part of the Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF), announced Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones last Thursday (Oct. 29).

“We are working with the County of Dufferin to make sure they have the tools and flexibility they need to keep people safe during the pandemic,” said Jones in the press release announcing the fund. “This funding will be used to help support vulnerable residents who need temporary housing, emergency shelter, and additional services.”

The funding, which will be delivered through the Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF), looks to aid those in the community who are dealing with homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new funding according to the press release will specifically go towards protecting and supporting homeless shelter staff and residents, renovating over 1,500 housing units, expanding rent support programs in the community and creating longer-term housing solutions.

As part of the $4 billion Safe Restart Agreement, a $200 million investment from the province for the SSRF was announced back in March. A second phase of the SSRF fund was announced in early August.

Unlike the first phase of funding, a “business case” was required to access the funding, said Dufferin Community Services Director Anna McGregor.

According to a report to County Council, the “business case” which was required to access the funding, provided an outline on how the County planned to allocate the funds.

“The County of Dufferin, is extremely happy to receive this provincial funding, to help support our most in need as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Anna McGregor in the press release. “The County will us the funding to assist clients and will be working closely with our local community partners, to support them, in supporting our local community.”