The government of Ontario has announced it will be introducing a suite of legislative and policy measures, and investing $178 million over three years, to ensure that the people of Ontario have access to affordable and adequate housing and to help them secure employment, raise a family and build strong communities.

Last year, Ontario announced that it would consult with communities to update the Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy, first launched in 2010. The updated strategy is informed by feedback from key stakeholders including clients, developers, municipalities and advocates. It will make housing programs more people-centred and co-ordinated, and provide municipalities with flexibility to meet local needs.

To increase the supply of affordable housing and support the province’s goal of ending chronic homelessness in 10 years, Ontario is:

• Creating a framework for a portable housing benefit that would give people who receive housing assistance the flexibility to choose where they want to live. Further, the province will invest more than $17 million over three years to provide a portable housing benefit on a pilot basis to eventually support up to 3,000 survivors of domestic violence.
• Proposing legislation for inclusionary zoning that would enable municipalities to mandate the inclusion of affordable housing units in new development projects.
• Developing a Supportive Housing Policy Framework to improve client outcomes, and providing more than $100 million in funding over the next three years for new supportive housing to improve access for up to 4,000 families and individuals to services like counselling, dispensing medication, and life skills, as well as support the construction of up to 1,500 new supportive housing units over the long term.
• Providing an additional $45 million over three years to the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative.
• Developing an Indigenous Housing Strategy in partnership with Indigenous communities.
• Investing in long-term, stable funding for affordable and adequate housing is part of the government’s economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number one priority — to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in talent and skills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history and investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.

For more information visit: https://news.ontario.ca/mah/en/2016/03/ontario-transforming-housing-and-homelessness-system.html?utm_source=ondemand&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p