That Council receive the memorandum dated March 15, 2023 from Katherine Chislett, Commissioner of Community and Health Services and adopt the following resolution:
WHEREAS the homelessness crisis is taking a devastating toll on families and communities, undermining a healthy and prosperous Ontario;
WHEREAS in York Region’s 2021 Point-in-Time Count, 329 people were counted as experiencing homelessness of which approximately 102 people were experiencing homelessness for six months or more;
WHEREAS York Region’s emergency and transitional housing and seasonal shelters are consistently operating at, or near, full capacity;
WHEREAS York Region’s homelessness prevention programs continue to see increasing demand from people, including families at-risk of homelessness;
WHEREAS the homelessness crisis is the result of historic underinvestment by the Provincial and Federal governments;
WHEREAS the Province’s Social Services Relief Fund which provided funding for significant homelessness supports ended December 31, 2022;
WHEREAS – the planning allocation for Homelessness Prevention Program funding from the Province shows no increase for the 2023/2024 fiscal year;
WHEREAS the Regional Municipality of York has been the primary funder of new community housing supply;
WHEREAS homelessness requires a range of housing, and integrated social service and health solutions;
WHEREAS homelessness is felt most at the level of local government and the residents that they serve;
WHEREAS the Regional Municipality of York continues to invest in its homelessness prevention response and construction of new community housing, and requires additional ongoing investments in social assistance, the provincial Homelessness Prevention Program, and capital funding to address this complex challenge; and,
WHEREAS leadership and urgent action is needed from the provincial government on an emergency basis to develop, resource, and implement a comprehensive plan to prevent, reduce and ultimately end homelessness in Ontario.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
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- The Regional Municipality of York calls on the Provincial Government to urgently:
- Acknowledge that homelessness in Ontario is a social, economic, and health crisis;
- Commit to ending homelessness in Ontario;
- Work with AMO and a broad range of community, health, Indigenous and economic partners to develop, resource, and implement an integrated action plan to achieve this goal.
- A copy of this motion be sent to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Minister of Children, Community and Social Services; Minister of Health; Minister of Long-Term Care; Minister of Education and to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.