A $125,000 federal grant is already being put to good use by Community Living Huntsville (CLH).
Executive Director Suzanne Willett says the “Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy” money, provided through the United Way of Simcoe Muskoka, gives a bump to the not-for-profit’s transitional housing initiative.
“These funds are already at work in our community,” says Willett. “The funds have allowed us to increase staff hours, and because we’ve been able to dedicate staff hours, we’ve been able to support others to find and keep housing in our community beyond those that are residing in our transitional housing.”
According to Willett, the initiative had a budget of around $230,000 this year, so the $125,000 “makes a huge dent.” She says that includes supporting six people to live in transitional housing, as well as helping other people with developmental disabilities find or keep housing.
“I see it making a huge difference,” says Willett. “There’s so many people in our community that are in need of housing. Those that do have a developmental disability find it much harder to find housing. So those funds are helping someone find, maintain a home of their own.”
Willett adds that people with developmental disabilities face about ten times longer waits for affordable housing, on top of the already low housing availability rate.
