Last month’s provincial election has forced the United Counties of Prescott-Russell to dip into its own reserve funds to maintain programs dealing with social housing needs in the region.
Social Services Director Sylvie Milette presented United Counties of Prescott-Russell council (UCPR) March 26 with a report about the annual federal-provincial funding aid that Prescott-Russell receives to deal with local social housing needs and also to help people who are homeless.
“Due to the provincial election held in February, the government remains in a transitional period until its (new) cabinet is formed,” stated Milette in her report, “preventing any provincial funding allocations from being announced or confirmed.”
That means that the UCPR is still waiting for confirmation of three senior government program funding grants that the social services department uses to deal with homelessness and social housing needs in the Prescott-Russell region.
Those programs are: the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI), the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI), and the Homeownership and the Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP).
COCHI provides financial assistance for affordable housing needs through new construction, conversion of existing houses, or purchase of homes to use for social housing. The UCPR budget includes allocation for renovation work under the COCHI program. Last year the UCPR received $750,800 in COCHI funds.
OPHI funding helps the UCPR to deal with local priorities in the region for social housing. That includes providing people in need with housing allowances or rent supplements. Last year the UCPR received $421,000 in OPHI funds. At present there are 91 households in Prescott-Russell that benefit from this aid. Millette noted that loss of OPHI funding “would put low-income households at risk” of losing their homes.
The main use for HPP in the UCPR is to help subsidize beds at Residential Supportive Housing Centres in the region. Milette’s report noted that about 400 people rely on this program for subsidized beds and support services. Milette’s office has received a letter from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing that the UCPR should receive $3,994,600 in HPP funding for the 2025 to 2026 fiscal year, the same amount the counties have received for the past three years.
Milette told council that starting April 1 her department needs to draw on the UCPR Housing Services reserve fund to maintain the housing allowances and rent supplements to those residents most in need of the financial help and also maintain the subsidized bed program for the homeless.
Council agreed with the social services department recommendation and approved use of the Housing Services reserve fund to maintain funding aid for those residents who need assistance through either the OPHI or HPP funding programs. All money drawn from the reserve fund will be replaced once the province confirms and provides the UCPR with its OPHI and HPP funding grants.
The COCHI funding plan included in the 2025 UCPR budget will wait until the UCPR receives confirmation of its COCHI funding.
