St. Catharines homelessness initiative at risk of losing staff amid funding delay

The Ontario government has pressed pause on close to $19 million for a homelessness initiative in St. Catharines, putting the program in danger of losing staff.

The funding was supposed to be a lifeline to the region, and now it is in limbo with no timeline for its reinstatement.

“We were so excited about this pre-election announcement, and here we are still today in July and we do not have the funding,” said Joyce Morocco, the Regional Councillor of Niagara Falls.

The three years of funding Morocco is referring to, would have given life to the new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub in St. Catharines.

They just received word that funding is delayed, leaving the program in limbo.

“As we move to aim in the next couple of months in August, it’s a perfect opportunity for the region to again meet with ministers and remind them of their initiative, and the challenges we have,” said Albert Witteveen, the Regional Councillor of West Lincoln.

The biggest challenge is staffing.

The committee charged with meeting the requirements for funding had until April 1, to arrange staff and resources to run the program.

Now Morocco says 10 community partners providing services are left waiting and staff might be lost to other opportunities.

“That’s the challenging part right now,” said Morocco. “It’s not easy to find a psychiatrist, first of all, and it’s not easy to get the staff. There are so many opportunities for them to get full time work.”

Morocco said the homelessness crisis is at a breaking point in St. Catharines, and the HART program was going to address homelessness, mental health and addictions problems through the centre’s wraparound services, including community outreach.

CHCH News reached out to the province to see when this funding is actually going to happen. They couldn’t provide a timeline, but they did provide a statement.

“Our government is continuing to work with the remaining HART hubs to bring new, safe and comprehensive mental health, social, and addiction services, as well as supportive housing units to 19 additional communities, including Niagara, as soon as possible,” reads the statement.

In the meantime, clients, staff, and community organizations wait for the funding lifeline.

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