Ontario Providing More Housing Support to the Regional Municipality of Halton to Help Wind Down Encampments

Increased funding will help individuals find housing and free up shelter space where it is needed most

Burlington- Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre announced Ontario is providing Halton Region with $91,793 in funding through the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) to help individuals and families secure the affordable housing they need, right now. This funding is part of previously announced $75.5 million in top-up funding to free up shelter space where it is needed most and help people in encampments move quickly from crisis into safer accommodation and ultimately stable, long-term housing.  This brings the total COHB funding for Halton Region to $1,113,093 for 2024/25. 


COHB is a portable benefit that goes directly to people in need so they can have more choice to find affordable rental housing. The funding also supports municipalities by reducing pressures on emergency shelter systems so they can help more people in need. 

“This funding will help Halton wind down encampment sites, which are a public safety concern and not a solution to homelessness," said Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. "Mayors have asked us for help in managing this complex issue and that is why we are providing additional funding to those municipalities that have committed to use the investment to clear encampments and provide people in need with safer accommodation quickly.”

The province has also invited municipalities to apply for part of a $70 million fund to create additional long-term affordable housing units and expand shelter capacity. Funding will be allocated based on need and dependent on a written pledge from the local service manager to utilize the funds towards winding down encampments and providing access to safer accommodation in their community. 

QUICK FACTS

•    COHB provides funding directly to households that are on, or eligible to be on, a social housing waiting list and to households in financial need living in community housing. This benefit helps individuals and families who may be at risk of homelessness to secure and stay in a rental home that meets their needs.
•    COHB is jointly funded by the federal government through the National Housing Strategy and is provincially delivered. Funding for the program is confirmed through 2027-28.
•    In 2023-24, Ontario provided nearly $656.1 million in much-needed provincial and federal funding through initiatives under the National Housing Strategy to maintain and create more community housing.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Learn more about affordable housing in Ontario and find your local service manager to see what housing supports are available in your community.
Read the 2024 Ontario Budget: Building a Strong Ontario.