Ontario Building More Supportive Housing in St. Thomas

Nearly $1.2 million to help connect people with mental health, addictions issues and housing instability with places to live

September 29, 2023

Municipal Affairs and Housing


Table of Contents

  1. Content
  2. Quick Facts
  3. Quotes
  4. Additional Resources
  5. Related Topics

ST. THOMAS, ON — The Ontario government is providing nearly $1.2 million in operational funding for rent supplements and mental health and addictions support services for 45 new supportive housing units in St. Thomas.

The Station, a brand-new 45-unit development, will help connect more people who are in need of mental health and addictions supports with places to live, while also helping them get the services they need, closer to home, and reducing the number of visits to emergency rooms and hospitals.

“This investment is in alignment with our Roadmap to Wellness plan to build a fully connected mental health and addictions system across the province,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “It will support vulnerable groups requiring affordable housing and support services to live independently with access to the community-based supports they need.”

Operated by Indwell Community Homes, The Station will provide housing and services to individuals over the age of 18 with mental health, addiction issues and experiencing housing instability. Services will include program management, supervised social work, nursing, addiction support, behavioural support, housing support casework, food security and 24/7 on call support where required.

“These homes will make a real difference in people’s lives, and I’m proud that our government is supporting projects like this one all across the province,” said Rob Flack, Associate Minister of Housing and MPP for Elgin—Middlesex—London. “This is a great day for the City of St. Thomas and for Elgin—Middlesex—London.”

The Ontario government also provided $3 million through the Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF) to help build 20 supportive housing units in the building. SSRF has provided over $1.2 billion of support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to help municipal service managers and Indigenous program administrators create longer-term housing solutions and help vulnerable people in Ontario, including those who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Ontario is also investing an additional $202 million each year in homelessness prevention programs through the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program, bringing the province’s total annual investment to close to $700 million.


Quick Facts

  • This investment is an important part of Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness plan.
  • On April 1, 2022, Ontario launched the Homelessness Prevention Program, which works to prevent, address and reduce chronic homelessness. The new program requires service managers to meet updated provincial by-name list requirements.

Quotes

“We’re building homes of all kinds across the province and supportive housing is a key part of that. While we work toward our goal of building at least 1.5 million homes by 2031, we are putting policies and programs in place to create appropriate housing options for everyone, including vulnerable people.”

– Paul Calandra
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing


Additional Resources


Related Topics

Home and Community

Information for families on major life events and care options, including marriage, births and child care. Also includes planning resources for municipalities. Learn more