Niagara's NDP MPPs have sent off a letter to the Housing Minister asking for a fair deal for homelessness services.
NDP Official Opposition MPPs Jeff Burch from Niagara Centre, Jennie Stevens of St. Catharines, and Wayne Gates from Niagara Falls have issued an open letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing highlighting what they are calling the 'devastating impact of the unfair funding formula under the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative.'
The politicians say it fails to provide the resources needed for Niagara.
The MPPs are calling for a new funding model that matches local demand for homelessness services and ensures equitable allocation.
January 17, 2020
Hon. Steve Clark MPP
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
17th Floor 777 Bay St.
Toronto, ON M5G 2E5
Dear Minister Clark:
We are sending you this letter on behalf of the people of Niagara. Niagara is facing a critical issue of
housing and homelessness. Thousands of our residents are in shelters or emergency hotel
accommodations, unable to find affordable housing; we have heard stories of people in our
community forced to sleep under bridges. The current funding formula for the Community
Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) exacerbates this issue. For many years Niagara has done
more with less under previous Liberal Governments, and constituents in Niagara are requesting
a fair deal.
In 2012, the provincial Liberal Government under Kathleen Wynne consolidated several housing
programs into the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative. Unlike its predecessors,
CHPI funding is capped, making it difficult for municipalities to respond to sudden surges in
demand for shelter or homeless prevention programs.
Niagara’s shelters continue to operate at over 100 per cent capacity, with a 160 per cent increase
in hotel use from 2017 to 2018. A similar jurisdiction, Hamilton receives $36.59 per capita in CHPI
funding. Windsor receives $26.83 per capita. The Niagara Region receives just $17.52 per capita.
Current estimates show that Niagara receives between $2.5 million to $4 million less in annual
CHPI funding allocations compared to other regions with a similar population, core-housing need
and other objective indicators. Local elected officials estimate that the Niagara Region had been
shorted by an upwards $20 million in CHPI funding in the seven years since its implementation.
These statistics and the longstanding issue with the CHPI are outlined in the Niagara Region’s 2019
AMO Briefing and has been brought to the attention of the previous Liberal government on several
occasions.
Minister, we are calling on you to fix an issue that the Liberals created and is now getting even
worse.
Each year this problem persists, the region is unable to meet the growing demand to assist
those facing housing insecurity adequately. What is needed is a funding model that matches local
demand for homelessness services and ensures equitable allocation.
We would like to invite you to come to Niagara to meet with municipal officials and community
leaders who have been raising this issue for some time.
Regards,
Wayne Gates Jennie Stevens Jeff Burch