Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith announced Thursday that the District of Muskoka and the Parry Sound District Social Services Administration Board are getting increases to their base annual funding.
According to Smith, an additional $657,000 is going to the Parry Sound District Social Services Administration Board and $761,000 to the District of Muskoka. It brings the funding totals to $2,068,200 and $1,557,400 respectively.
In order to get the funding, officials with Smith’s office say service managers must have in place a “comprehensive and up-to-date by-name list of people experiencing homelessness.” The list is a requirement so those dealing with or on edge of dealing with homelessness can be quickly connected with the proper services.
The money is coming from the additional $202 million the province added to the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supporting Housing Program. The yearly investment total between the two programs is now around $700 million.
“This funding increase represents our government’s serious commitment to providing our municipal partners with the resources they need to provide supportive housing services to our most vulnerable residents,” says Smith. “This funding will go a long way in helping more people access critical housing support services.”
***With files from Mathew Reisler