Inn From the Cold is launching a leasing program to transition clients into permanent housing with the help of a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
The Newmarket shelter is receiving a two-year grant of $199,100 from the Resilient Communities Fund to cover administrative and staffing costs, including hiring a systems navigator for the Please Come Inn program.
"These investments by the Ontario Trillium Foundation to fund a systems navigator and kick start our Please Come Inn head lease program is great news for many in our community," said Ann Watson, executive director at the shelter. "Many will benefit from understanding and accessing the systems that are required for full participation in our communities and access to affordable, sustainable housing through Please Come Inn will change lives."
Through the head lease program, Inn From the Cold is renting two units of a house in town. The units will then be sublet to clients. Inn From the Cold will handle any issues or conflicts that arise with the properties or the tenants and the clients will stay connected through regular visits with staff and the shelter's ongoing programs.
The program starts with a one-year lease and the goal is to eventually do a lease takeover with the clients once they are ready, Watson said. She said the timeline will be different for everyone.
The head lease program will launch this fall for the first time and if it's successful, it could be expanded to other rental properties.
This is one of two grants the shelter received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation this year. In the spring, it received a grant of $73,800, which was used to develop a new website and improve its digital presence. It also went toward implementing a health and wellness strategy and organizational risk management plan.
The total funding for Inn From The Cold from Trillium grants is $277,400.
Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy visited Inn From the Cold Oct. 6 to officially present these grants and tour the facility.
"I am thrilled to announce these two grants for this great community organization," she said. "Inn From the Cold is changing the lives of people experiencing homelessness while changing the perception of homelessness. These grants are a great example of how we are building our community together by delivering innovative and sustainable housing programs and services."
This funding will help clients become more resilient, Watson said.
"Inn From the Cold's vision of shelter, dignity, and safety for everyone in York Region is enhanced with this funding, as is our ability to partner with our clients on their journeys out of homelessness," Watson said.
