The agency will award $468,281 to 16 food security projects in 2021, drawn from provincial Community Homelessness Prevention Initiatives (CHPI) funding it receives from the province.
That represents about 13 per cent of the Thunder Bay DSSAB’s CHPI funding, a program created in 2013 to support an ostensible provincial goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2025. The fund typically supports emergency shelters, homelessness prevention programs, and housing services.
The TBDSSAB, which administers childcare and housing programs, Ontario Works, and other social services, was expected to receive roughly $3.6 million in Community Homelessness Prevention Initiatives (CHPI) funding from the province in 2021.
Last year, when the TBDSSAB first decided to allocate part of the CHPI funds to food security rather than directly to housing, it awarded just over $350,000 to 11 organizations across the district.
The agency said earlier this year it would allocate the same amount in 2021, but CAO Bill Bradica said in a release this week that overwhelming demand for the program led the TBDSSAB to increase its focus on food security.
“We were overwhelmed by the community response to the CHPI Food Security Fund applications of interest with more than $1 million in proposals,” he said. “We’re grateful that our CHPI funding allowed us the flexibility to support priorities like food security with more funding than we were able to provide last year.”
Fifteen social service agencies and non-profits across the Thunder Bay District will benefit from the funding.
The Shelter House is the largest single recipient, awarded $80,000 to continue and expand its food service program, which provides access to food seven days a week.
Other large grants include $57,600 for the Urban Abbey to provide warm meals and food supplies to around 40 people a day, $55,000 for Our Kids Count to provide meals and other food supports, $50,000 for the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA) to bring shipments of fresh produce from partners in southern Ontario, and $50,000 for the Rural Cupboard Food Bank to purchase and distribute food and necessities for those in need in rural areas.
"Food is the most basic of life necessities, and this program allows us to ensure that families in our community can have help in meeting that need in a way that provides dignity and flexibility," said Marjorie House executive director Rhea Starkes. "This program ensures that Marjorie House is able to help in a way that creates an immediate and positive impact for the families we serve."
A full list of funding recipients, amounts received, and project summaries is available at the TBDSSAB website.
