By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Essex County Council has directed Administration to advise proponents that the procurement process for its Intensive Supportive Housing program has been cancelled.
This program assists the most vulnerable in the community.
The County and City began to operate an Intensive Supportive Housing Program three-years ago, which provides specialized support to individuals experiencing homelessness and facing complex medical needs, mental health issues, and/or addiction issues.
This program is offered through one facility for the County. The City also operates one as well.
County Staff was also directed to utilize any one-time Safe Start funding if any transitional support is needed, and that the County work with the City on a joint campaign to the province to work at increasing the funding envelope for the Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) in the region.
Members of County Council made this decision at the March 4 meeting, in addition to advocating to the province to directly fund rural and small urban areas in addressing housing, homeless, and metal health and addiction issues
This issue stems back to the January 15 meeting, when County Admin was directed to commence a procurement process for the Intensive supportive Housing program in the County. Staff was then to report back to County Council, which it did last week.
With the RFP process complete, Council needed to decide on how to proceed, either direct administration to explore a contract or advise the proponents the procurement process has been cancelled.
Two proponents submitted a proposal, David Sundin, Director of Legislative and Legal Services, explained. The result was that the Intensive Supportive Housing program is significantly higher than the County’s traditional program.
The Report to County Council on the matter notes if the County was to negotiate a contract to continue the Intensive Supportive Housing Program, the total program costs through 2025 are expected to remain at approximately $107,000 per month.
The program’s costs would be partially offset by provincial funding through a funding agreement, rent recoveries from residents, and surplus funds, if any, from the County’s Homelessness Program.
Sundin explained that if the County were to commit to the program, it would have to put at least $500,000 in year one towards this program, which will grow to $650,000 by year five of the contract. That would be for 35 individuals in the program.
In year one, the cost per resident per day would be $100.66, growing to $111.55 by the end of year five. That exceeds the $60 per resident per day the province provides for this type of program, Sundin said.
For Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey, she was glad to see the report noting the County was billed $18M in 2024 for this regional housing envelope, which is subject to final reconciliation by the City. The total costs of the Regional Social Services and Social Housing Programs are cost shared.
“I think we are doing exceptional work,” Bailey said, adding she was appreciative to learn the HART Hub is coming forward. The Report details that the province approved Windsor to open and operate a Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub program. Funding for the HART Hub – a shared model of care – has been announced to be $6,300,000 per year, and will initially house 16 individuals.
Bailey wanted to table the option to advise of the cancelling of the procurement process, direct administration to utilize any one-time Safe Start funding if any transitional support is needed, and that the County work with the City on a joint campaign to the province to work at increasing the funding envelope for the HPP in the region.
While Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy voiced support for the motion, Amherstburg Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb could not. Though he agreed the province ought to be putting more funding into these types of programs, and it should not be up to municipalities to backfill what is a provincial responsibility, “we all know that is not going to happen.”
The alternative is, “what do we do for this group of people that need higher-level support?”
Gibb added that it is a lot of money to put into a program, but he questioned how much it is saving by keeping high-needs individuals out of the hospital, an ambulance, off the streets, or out of shelters.
Kingsville Deputy Mayor Kim DeYong saw this as an important step in showing the province it needs to step-up and fulfill its responsibility.
“I really am pleased to hear we are going to work on this regional effort, and work with the City, to ensure that those with intensive care needs get the services they deserve. And I am confident the commitment of the Safe Restart dollars will ensure that happens,” DeYong said.
Lakeshore Deputy Mayor Kirk Walstedt believed in holding the province accountable on the matter.
Downloading onto municipalities, he added, is no longer acceptable.
“This wasn’t easy for any of us. This is a very difficult decision,” LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche said, adding one of the important parts is knowing the County is going to do everything it can for those residents to find somewhere safe to be.
Essex County Warden and Mayor of Leamington Hilda MacDonald called the situation “heart wrenching.” She noted these individuals have a higher-level of needs.
MacDonald didn’t think the County had a whole lot of options in the matter.
“We are all trying to do our best, I believe, with the options that we are given.”
A majority of County Council supported Bailey’s motion, with Gibb and Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara opposed.
County Council also supported Bondy’s motion to send correspondence to the Premier and relevant provincial ministries to seek direct funding from the province to assist rural and smaller urban areas in addressing housing, homeless, and mental health and addiction issues.
Members also invited local MPPs to appear before Council to hear the concerns County Council has with funding related to the above-mentioned issues for rural and smaller urban areas.
The City of Windsor is the Service Manager for social housing, Bondy explained, noting she believes some conversation has to be had with the City, because the County and the City need to have adequate service.
Since the 1990s the City of Windsor has been the Consolidated Regional Service Manager for social services for both the City and the County, the previous report to County Council on the matter notes. The City receives funding from both the provincial and federal governments to provide social services, including programs related to addressing homelessness in both the City and the County.
“As long as we continue to pay, they won’t,” Bondy said, noting the province talks about how it hasn’t increased taxes, “meanwhile we are increasing taxes at the local and County level to bring services” where there is a gap.
“We continue to look like the bad guys raising our mill rate, our tax levy, to bridge the gaps where the province has downloaded or failed to fund with the complex issues that our society is facing,” Bondy said. “We need to be louder on this issue until the province comes forward.”
County Council unanimously carried Bondy’s motion.
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