Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith returned to the District of Muskoka’s office on Pine St. In Bracebridge to announce a funding boost to Muskoka’s Homelessness Prevention Program.
First announced on April 13, the $761,000 boost represents a 58 percent increase in funding.
“This funding will help us support our fellow community members who are facing homelessness by helping with costs such as food, transportation, rent, utilities, mental health supports and help to keep them housed during a time of crisis,” explains Arfona Zwiers, Commissioner of Community Planning Services. She adds the money will be used to support those that are currently homeless, but also to try and find the root cause of why they are homeless.
“We’ve seen that the pandemic has actually worsened the homelessness situation in Muskoka,” she says.
Zwiers points out how the district recently declared a homelessness emergency. She cited data that shows the number of shelter nights in Muskoka increased by 607 percent between 2019 and 2022, which means there were 15,787 instances last year of a person needing temporary overnight shelter. There were 2,234 instances in 2019.
According to Zwiers, the additional funding will allow current services to continue and be improved. Also, she says district staff are working on addressing homelessness through other programs, notably a mobile operational unit. She explains the mobile unit would allow staff to move around the community easier to reach out to homeless individuals. However, she adds district staff work on creating long-term solutions, too.
“We know where the pressure points are already,” says District Chair Jeff Lehman, pointing out how staff work with homeless individuals every day.
Maureen Callaghan, Manager of Homelessness Prevention, says the boost will help the district strengthen community partnerships. Notably, she mentioned working with youth-serving agencies like Alex’s Place in Bracebridge. Callaghan added the district will put forward better crisis diversion support to reduce the pressure on hospitals and paramedics and focus more on moving people from temporary shelters and instead get them into long-term housing.
“Today is so much more than a funding announcement,” she says. “It represents an investment in the lives of all of our residents.”
Lehman says the funding boost comes without many restrictions on how it needs to be spent. “Think of all the challenges that are being faced at the moment,” he says. While housing is the overarching issue, Lehman explains the cost of food, mental health, and the opioid crisis all contribute to the issue, adding they all require different solutions.
“Homelessness is not unto itself the crisis,” says Lehman. “Homelessness is the result of many other things that are increasing problems in our society.”
“This 58 percent increase in funding reflects our government’s commitment to helping our municipal partners take meaningful action to address homelessness in our communities,” says Smith. “There’s more to be done but I’m pleased that the District of Muskoka is receiving these funds as they will be used to make an immediate and tangible improvement in the lives of our most vulnerable residents.”
