THUNDER BAY — The provincial government has announced a nearly $11-million yearly increase in homelessness prevention funding for the Thunder Bay district, a move local leaders say is unprecedented and potentially game-changing.
That will nearly triple the Homelessness Prevention Program funds allocated to the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board, bringing the yearly total to just over $16.5 million.
The boost is expected to support new supportive housing projects, which the DSSAB has identified as one of the area's most pressing needs, estimating the district has a shortfall of hundreds of units.
The increase responds to years of calls from local leaders and social service agencies for the provincial and federal governments to step up with more housing dollars and other homelessness supports.
Thunder Bay–Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland announced the funding expansion, which will remain in place for at least three years, at an event at the DSSAB’s May Street headquarters on Friday morning.
“I really can’t put into words how big of a deal this actually is for Thunder Bay and the district,” he said in an interview. “The increase in funding to address the homelessness problem we’re facing … It’s going to move mountains in getting that accomplished for our region.”
As mayor of Conmee, Holland had sat on the DSSAB's board in recent years, participating in many of the discussions that he said helped set the stage for Friday's announcement.
The province had bumped overall Homelessness Prevention Program funding by nearly $200 million — or around 40 per cent — in this year’s budget.
Holland said the much larger increase for Thunder Bay, amounting to 197 per cent, was a result of years of advocacy by DSSAB and city leaders in outlining higher rates of homelessness and related social and health issues in the north.
Bill Bradica, CAO of the DSSAB, called the funding increase "historic" and a sign that local advocacy had hit home.
“We’ve been talking about this for the past five years, and we have to acknowledge that the government listened to us," he said. "I thought we might get an increase, but certainly did not expect [this] – it’s a tripling of our funding. That is unprecedented.”
He said the DSSAB would look to invest much of the increase to build supportive housing, including in district communities outside of Thunder Bay.
With over 750 people on the DSSAB's "by-name" homelessness list, Bradica said the agency estimates at least 250 new supportive housing units are needed to meet demand across the district.
The DSSAB has put out a call for expressions of interest from local agencies to build supportive housing, with a deadline of June 30.
Bradica is hoping the first units could be completed and available as soon as late 2024.
“We’re hoping we could actually have some capital projects underway before the end of the year, and then completing maybe 12 months or so after that,” he said.
Mayor Ken Boshcoff, who serves as chair of the DSSAB's board, welcomed the news in an interview at Friday's announcement.
“The real tools are having the financial resources to build housing stock. When you’re talking about homelessness, the answer is more housing with dignity for people. This is a deliverable we’re very proud is happening in Thunder Bay. The fact everyone agrees this is the answer, it’s great to see.”