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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.
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