Homelessness prevention program punches above its weight

Luke Edwards

Advocate Correspondent

Long thought of as a big city problem, recent trends have shown that’s not the case in Ontario when it comes to homelessness.

Smaller communities like Norfolk and Haldimand are also facing pressures as homelessness numbers increase in nearly every part of the province. Fortunately, a review of the efforts made locally shows a team that punches above its weight. That’s especially the case since the local service provider doesn’t receive the same top up funding from Queen’s Park that other service providers get.

“It appears that you are the only service manager who doesn’t have the additional municipal top up in homelessness investments, so it’s remarkable with what you’ve been able to do with your staff and kudos to the performance of the system,” said Helpseeker’s Jesse Donaldson, speaking to members of the Health and Social Services Advisory Committee for Norfolk-Haldimand at a March 24 meeting.

Following a budget increase in 2023, Helpseeker was brought in to conduct a review of the service provider’s homelessness prevention program. The review offered some recommendations, mainly around improving data collection but overall said the team is doing a good job with limited resources.

Helpseeker systems planning specialist Jillian Mah pointed to a few numbers that should fill Norfolk-Haldimand with pride. The first is with their emergency shelter program, where they have a 33 per cent success rate in getting people into sustainable housing.

“That 33 per cent success rate is incredibly high for emergency shelter programs,” she said, adding other municipalities struggle with this form of support.

The housing assistance program, which focuses more on homelessness prevention by helping with things like last month’s rent or when people get behind on their utility payments, also has a strong success rate with 91 per cent remaining housed a year after accessing the service.

Housing assistance also takes the form of ongoing support for people who can’t afford the cost of housing, and Mah said it prevents “people from cycling into a system of needing more complex support.”

Despite those successes, the region faces similar challenges to many communities in Ontario. 

“What we’re seeing throughout the province, especially since 2024, is huge increases in homelessness,” Donaldson said.

Based on current trends, Ontario could see anywhere from 128,000 to 294,000 people experiencing homelessness by 2035, Donaldson said. Those numbers don’t factor in any potential economic crises, either.

Locally, the most recent count found 117 people experiencing homelessness, a 48 per cent increase from the last count in 2018. Donaldson said some of the increase is the result of increased outreach, though it also is the result of increased demand. Additionally, rural homelessness is increasing at a faster pace than in more urban areas.

Several factors are at play, Donaldson said, including a slowdown in housing construction, economic pressures, population growth, infrastructure costs and increasing complexities as people often face additional issues with mental health or addiction in addition to homelessness.

Better tracking and data isn’t just needed to better understand the situation and support those who need it, the consultants said. That kind of information can also help when it comes to grants and other funding support.