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3 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,F ebruary 28,2019 theifp.ca '<=24?@=%2>#@;:>#?5##0)/<+@9;$%@-@"9<@,1% !4@87*.3 '%#.-*"++&".-/!)(-,!+,*+/-+.+*$ 9)25825 -'7(5)03%,2.4 $63!!1"7 25(*30#%/6#&6#2+ The demand for mea- sures that help keep vulner- able local residents off the streets is climbing. According to the latest statistics put forth by Halton Region, 1,925 households were supported last year by the municipality's home- lessness prevention servic- es - an increase from 1,746 in 2017. The local families were assisted via dollars from the region's Housing Stability Fund, which is used to pre- vent evictions and utility disconnections, secure per- manent housing and furni- ture, and assist with moving and storage costs. The influx can be attri- buted to the region's efforts to intervene earlier in the lives of Halton residents at risk of homelessness, sup- porting them to ensure they remain housed, explained commissioner of social and community services Alex Sarchuk. "The emphasis has shift- ed from emergency shelter to those upstream interven- tions," he said during Wednesday's regional coun- cil meeting. Sarchuk noted this shift in attention is largely re- sponsible for a decline in family shelter admissions, which has fallen 36 per cent since 2015. He went on to present council with a snapshot of homelessness in Halton that reveals individuals and fam- ilies continue to struggle to keep a roof over their heads in one of the Greater Toron- to Area's most affluent re- gions. An enumeration con- ducted last year revealed that 271 people were experi- encing homelessness in Hal- ton, up slightly from the last count done in 2016 that iden- tified 264 individuals. Sarchuk said the in- crease is largely the result of a change in the way statis- tics are gathered, with the provincial and federal gov- ernments now mandating the inclusion of homeless in- dividuals in hospitals, jails, motels and couch surfers. Of the 271 people consid- ered homeless locally, the majority were staying in transitional housing or shel- ters, while the remainder were said to be couch surf- ing or staying in a motel, the hospital or jail. Fourteen in- dividuals were experiencing unsheltered homelessness - a decrease of five per cent since the 2016 count was completed. "Homelessness is an ex- tremely complex issue with a multitude of contributing factors that can include lack of affordable or assisted housing, physical and men- tal health challenges, sub- stance use, family break- down and economic hard- ships," Sarchuk told coun- cil. He highlighted the fact that 46 of the homeless indi- viduals say they previously received foster care as mi- nors - data that he said sug- gests the need for increased support for youth leaving the care of Children's Aid Societies. Those who are consid- ered chronically homeless, meaning individuals or fam- ilies who've been in the shel- ter system for six consecu- tive months or have three separate instances of home- lessness in a calendar year, are eligible for support through the Halton Housing First program. The initiative helps these residents find and maintain permanent housing in the private market and includes intensive wraparound case management for up to two years. Since 2015, 70 vulnerable individuals and families have been supported through this program and remained housed to this day. Halton Hills Coun. Jane Fogal lauded the success of the Housing First model, but questioned where homeless youth in Halton Hills can go as there's no shelter in north Halton. Sarchuk said resources that support youth have been made available in Hal- ton Hills through the Bridg- ing the Gap program, along with the aforementioned proactive measures to keep people housed. But if emergency hous- ing is needed, efforts are made to bring the youth to the shelter system in south Halton, he said. "I think this is an issue that needs to be addressed," said Fogal. "It's not helpful to say the only option is to move you to Oakville." Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette requested a break- down of the statistics for each of Halton's four com- munities - numbers that staff will have to investigate. He applauded the re- gion's efforts to quickly ad- dress emergency homeless- ness situations, such as when he was recently made aware of a homeless 67-year- old and 22-year-old in Georgetown at a time when temperatures dropped to -30 C. "I contacted staff and by the afternoon they had those two looked after," he said. "I want to thank you publicly for that quick action." The region has been allo- cated $6.5 million from the province's homelessness prevention coffers for the period running from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020. Dur- ing its Wednesday session, regional council approved a spending plan for the funds, which will see $2.3 million allotted to emergency shel- ter solutions, $1.8 million for housing with related sup- ports, $1.3 million for home- lessness prevention, $650,000 for administration and the remainder for other services and supports. Halton will also benefit from $651,936 in federal Reaching Home funding. This amount is paired with $400,000 from the region and divvied up between eight community projects, includ- ing homelessness preven- tion services in Halton Hills through Links2Care and transitional housing pro- grams that support target groups like Shifra Homes, Home Suite Hope and the Halton Children's Aid Soci- ety. COUNCIL DEMAND FOR HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION RISES A 2018 ENUMERATION conducted by the region revealed that 271 individuals were experiencing homelessness in Halton. Of those: • 102 were staying in transitional housing • 72 were staying in a shelter • 44 were couch surfing • 18 were staying in a motel • 15 were in hospital/jail • 14 were unsheltered ¨ Six were undisclosed STORY BEHIND THE STORY With a shift in support focus, family shelter admissions have dropped 36 per cent since 2015. THE ISSUE: NEARLY 2,000 FAMILIES WERE SUPPORTED LAST YEAR BY THE REGION'S STABILITY FUND LOCAL IMPACT: ASSISTANCE HELPED TO PREVENT EVICTIONS AND UTILITY DISCONNECTIONS, AMONG OTHER THINGS MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com Heritage Acton has re- ceived a Launch Pad coach- ing grant from the National Trust for Canada. The National Trust of Canada's Launch Pad coach- ing grants give community organizations direct coach- ing time with seasoned fund- raising professionals and work with them to unlock the potential of their historic sites. As Heritage Acton pre- pares to celebrate the town's 175th anniversary, its 2019 fundraising campaign will help Heritage Acton meet the needs of its strategic asset management plan and also fund additional interior up- grades to enhance accessibil- ity of the Acton Town Hall. "Heritage preservation is an integral component of our community's charm and identity," said Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette. "My congratulations and thanks to the volunteers of Heritage Acton - both for the contribu- tions they have made in the past and for those they will make in the future to foster and maintain local buildings of merit." Heritage Acton is a non- profit charitable organiza- tion that was formed in 1983 to promote, facilitate and manage the restoration of buildings of historical and/ or architectural significance in the town of Acton. Its first major project was the restoration of the historic Acton Town Hall, built in 1883. The Citizens Hall was added in 2013 and included an elevator to provide assess for the disabled to the historic Willow Room on the second floor. The Acton Town Hall Centre has become a cultural and community hub for the Town of Acton and provides facilities for local service clubs, municipal services, youth groups, as well as con- ference facilities for busi- nesses. For more information on the Town of Acton's 175th an- niversary, visit www.acton- townhallcentre.ca or visit on Facebook at www.face- book.com/ActonTownHall- Centre. COMMUNITY HERITAGE ACTON RECEIVES LAUNCH PAD GRANT FOR 175TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com