[homeles_ot-l] FW: Advocacy - Act Now on Housing and Homelessness Supports

[Linda O'Neil]

FYI

Linda O'Neil
Public Education Consultant, B. Journalism
Canadian Mental Health Association, Ottawa Branch
Association canadienne pour la santé mentale, Section d'Ottawa
301-1355 rue Bank Street, Ottawa, ON    K1H 8K7
613-737-7791  Ext. 135         Fax: 613-737-7644

Email: loneil at cmhaottawa.ca<mailto:lsmoore at cmhaottawa.ca>
Website: www.ottawa.cmha.ca<http://www.cmhaottawa.ca/>

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From: Lorna Martin (ISAC) [mailto:martinlo at lao.on.ca]
Sent: Monday, December 02, 2013 3:31 PM
To: General CLN - ISAC
Subject: Act Now on Housing and Homelessness Supports

Hello,

Last year, you filled out a petition on our website<http://sareview.ca/isac-news/act-now-to-save-housing-supports-for-people-on-ow-and-odsp/> calling on government to save the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB). Your action on this issue made a difference. That's why I'm asking you to take action again to protect housing and homelessness supports in our communities.

The 2012 provincial budget announced the end of CSUMB, and the move of half of the money (about $62 million) into a new housing and homelessness support fund called the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI). This new fund is administered by local municipalities across Ontario. You can find out more information about the changes here and here<http://sareview.ca/isac-news/update-csumb/>.

After considerable community outcry, the provincial government made a one-time investment of an additional $42 million to help local municipalities "transition" to the new CHPI funding system.

But that money runs out in March 2014.

Last week, 27 community-based organizations from across Ontario wrote to the Premier and several ministers urging them to make the $42 million in transition funding a permanent part of CHPI funds.

You can read that letter here<http://www.incomesecurity.org/documents/CSUMBCHPIlettertoPremierWynneetalNov2013.pdf>. I'm asking you to join them by supporting this call, as soon as possible.

Municipalities across Ontario are planning their budgets for the coming year right now. Decisions about housing and homelessness funding will be made very soon. Municipalities - and the low income Ontarians who live in them - need these additional funds.

Please, today, take two minutes to send an email. It's as easy as writing:

"I support the call to make permanent $42 million in 'transition funding' for critically important housing and homelessness funds administered by municipalities under the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI), as stated in the enclosed letter."

Send your email to:

Premier Kathleen Wynne, MPP: kwynne.mpp at liberal.ola.org <mailto:kwynne.mpp at liberal.ola.org>
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Linda Jeffrey, MPP: ljeffrey.mpp at liberal.ola.org <mailto:ljeffrey.mpp at liberal.ola.org>
Minister Responsible for Poverty Reduction, Teresa Piruzza, MPP: tpiruzza.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org <mailto:tpiruzza.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org>
Minister of Community and Social Services, Ted McMeekin, MPP: tmcmeekin.mpp at liberal.ola.org <mailto:tmcmeekin.mpp at liberal.ola.org>

Be sure to copy your own MPP. If you don't know who that is, enter your postal code here<http://fyed.elections.on.ca/fyed/en/form_page_en.jsp>. Then find their contact information here<http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_current.do?locale=en&list_type=ministers&go=go>.

The $42 million will not replace CSUMB. But it will go some way to ensuring that low income people in communities across Ontario will have the funds they need to secure housing and to prevent losing their housing, due directly to lack of income.

Please take action today. And be sure to forward this email to your friends and colleagues asking them to take action too.

Thank you.


Jennefer Laidley
Research & Policy Analyst
Income Security Advocacy Centre
---
ISAC website: www.incomesecurity.org<http://www.incomesecurity.org>
Social Assistance Review website: www.sareview.ca<http://www.sareview.ca>



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