Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. Local News

United Way offering 'innovative' funding to help tackle homelessness

More than $3.5M available to go toward projects addressing crisis in rural and remote Ontario
BradfordToday Staff
20241008-gwekwaadziwin-miikan
Gwekwaadziwin Miikan in Little Current is shown. Through a previous round of Reaching Home funding administered by United Way Simcoe Muskoka, prefabricated homes were provided for youth and young adults struggling with addiction.Photo supplied by United Way Simcoe Muskoka

NEWS RELEASE
UNITED WAY SIMCOE MUSKOKA
*************************
United Way Simcoe Muskoka has announced the availability of $3,554,700 for programs addressing the current housing crisis through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.

Specifically, the United Way is looking to fund programs for those experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness in rural and remote communities across Ontario.

“Over 200,000 people experience homelessness each year in Canada,” said Brian Shelley, chief executive and philanthropy officer at United Way Simcoe Muskoka. “There is a need for innovative programs and services to move people from poverty to possibility; by administering Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada Reaching Home funds, we can ensure that these programs exist in rural and remote Ontario to meet the unique needs of folks living in these communities.”

Of the over $3.5 million available, almost $2 million has been reserved for capital projects, while the balance is for individual supports/social services.

Shelley added that within the funding, $798,395 has been allocated specifically for programs addressing the needs of Indigenous communities.

“We acknowledge the importance of providing culturally relevant services for Indigenous individuals and families as these are populations disproportionately affected by homelessness,” added Shelley.

All approved projects will be expected to launch in April 2025.

United Way have set the following timelines for applications:

  • Applications for funding for non-capital initiatives open Oct. 22, 2024, and close Nov. 19, 2024, at 5 p.m.
  • Applications for funding capital initiatives open Nov. 19, 2024, and close Dec. 17, 2024, at 5 p.m.

Information sessions will be held throughout October and November; to register for a session or to learn more, visit uwsimcoemuskoka.ca/rhinformationpage.

*************************