By Staff
September 9, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Region is receiving $876,000 in new funding under the Survivors of Domestic Violence Portable Housing Benefit Pilot program. Ontario has selected Halton as one of 22 communities across the province to test the pilot.
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing more than $20 million over two years to provide ongoing assistance to approximately 1,000 survivors of domestic violence per year under the pilot program.
For the physically abused and sexually harassed mother – finding a safe place to live is paramount – the federal and provincial governments have set up a pilot project for the Region of Halton
Currently, survivors of domestic violence are given priority access to rent-geared-to-income social housing. Under the new pilot, those survivors approved under the Special Priority Policy will have the option to receive a portable housing benefit, so that they can immediately find housing in their community instead of waiting for a social housing unit to become available.
Based on the outcomes of the pilot, Ontario will consider ways to enhance the program and extend the portable housing benefit to other communities.
The new investment complements the commitments made through Ontario’s recent Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy update, and supports the province’s goal of ending chronic homelessness in 10 years.
This initiative also supports the Ontario government’s goals of ending violence against women and providing better supports for survivors which includes the government’s It’s Never Okay: Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment.
