Simcoe County Regional Housing First Program Vision:
“Together we are working to provide a participant-focused, seamless and integrated homeless services system that ends chronic homelessness in Simcoe County by 2025”
This vision reflects a shift from a system that maintains people in homelessness towards a system that focuses on proactive and permanent housing solutions.
Simcoe County Regional Housing First Program operates under six Housing First principles, which are:
Rapid housing with supports
Offering participants choice in housing
Separating housing provision from other services
Providing tenancy rights and responsibilities
Integrating housing into the community
Strength-based and promoting self-sufficiency
Consistent with CHPI (Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative) funding, the overall objectives of the Simcoe County Regional Housing First Program are as follows:
End chronic homelessness in Simcoe County by 2025.
Reduce reliance on emergency shelters and services.
Assist households to obtain and retain affordable housing that provides supports appropriate to their needs and desires.
Assist households to navigate to and access community resources appropriate to their needs and desires.
The Housing First Program prioritizes chronically/episodically homeless individuals and then connects them with the specific components of the Housing First program, which are catered to their individual needs. Some participants will receive rent subsidies as well as wrap around supports provided by the Housing First team (comprised of Housing First Case Managers and Housing Specialists), and various other community agencies creating a continuum of care.
Prioritization of individuals is an integral part of the program as not all individuals will qualify for Housing First, but may qualify for other programs, such as Rapid Re-Housing.
If you are interested in the prioritization/referral process, please follow the links under Community Partner Resources.
