COVID-19 Social and Community Supports

Note: The following community programs and initiatives are approved for HRCIF funding in addition to nearly $1.2 million that was granted to 18 programs and initiatives this year as part of commitments made in 2018 or 2019.

• AbleLiving Services Inc. (external link)
  • $160,594 to provide health and social services for older adults and facilitate and support hospital to home transitions through the Burlington Community Wellness Hub (PACE model).  
• Ample Labs (external link)
  • $11,446 to support implementation of the Chalmers app, a chat-bot that supports vulnerable populations to access information about crisis-based services. Funding is also being provided by the United Way of Halton & Hamilton.
• Acclaim Health and Community Care Services (external link)
  • $67,937 to address isolation and provide strategies to support well-being among older adults at-risk.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton and Hamilton (external link)
  • $15,000 to support virtual matching opportunities for Halton youth on the agency’s waitlist.
• Canadian Mental Health Association: Halton Region Branch (external link)
  • $29,869 to provide free, walk-in counselling for residents 16 years old and older. Programming provided virtually during COVID-19.
• Central West Specialized Developmental Services (external link)
  • $70,598 to develop a Halton model for supporting children and youth with both a mental health and developmental diagnosis (dual diagnosis). This is a collaborative project from a Community Safety and Well-Being Action Table.
• Capability Support Services Inc. (external link)
  • $30,000 to add three additional supportive housing units to serve medically-stable clients that have been residing in hospital for extended periods of time.
• Distress Centre Halton (external link)  New
  • $15,500 to provide Telecheck, a free outbound call support service to help Halton residents who struggling with isolation and mental or health issues by keeping them connected and ensuring their safety and well-being.
• Food4Kids Halton (external link)
  • $29,465 to provide grocery cards to food insecure families during the summer months.
• Food for Life (external link)
  • $113,500 to expand food access points, outreach programming and provide refrigerators the community can access in Milton and Halton Hills.
• Halton Food for Thought (external link)  New
  • $21,905 to provide non-perishable food items to students throughout the school year.
• Halton Multicultural Council (external link)
  • $46,034 to assist newcomers and refugees who are in or at-risk of a crisis and facilitate access to community supports.
• Halton-Peel Community Aphasia Programs (external link)
  • $2,700 to increase direct social work supports for clients who are unable to participate in virtual programming.
• March of Dimes Canada (external link)
  • $10,450 to provide peer-to-peer support between March of Dimes volunteers and stroke survivors while in hospital.
• Nelson Youth Centres (external link)
  • $90,000 to provide clinical mental health supports to youth in Halton Hills and family therapy for high school age youth.
• Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre (OPNC) (external link)
  • $46,000 as the lead in a collaborative request to provide supports and system navigation to residents in the Churchill area of Oakville.
  • $11,604 to repair the agency’s front porch and make related improvements (food bank services are being provided on the porch during COVID-19).
• Oakville & Milton Humane Society (external link)
  • $30,000 to provide shelter and veterinarian care to animals when their owners need to access emergency services such as a hospital, a homeless shelter and/or are fleeing domestic violence (Families in Transition program).
• Oakville Meals on Wheels (external link)
  • $28,625 to establish a pilot program to address social isolation and loneliness, provide a meal and to identify older adults who are at risk of isolation.
• Peel Halton Dufferin Acquired Brain Injury Services (external link)
  • $15,015 to replace windows in an assisted living home that supports individuals with an acquired brain injury.
• Quality Continuous Improvement Centre for Community Education and Training (external link)
  • $3,819 to provide a range of supports to newcomer women including settlement, employment workshops and wellness activities. The program is being delivered virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services (SAVIS) of Halton (external link)
  • $11,720 to implement a new phone system to accommodate the increase in counselling and crisis support calls.
• Shifra Homes Inc. (external link)
  • $17,488 to provide access to healthy nutritious food while supporting life skills for young pregnant women.
  • $48,626 for the Residential & Seeds of Hope Programs that provide supports to young pregnant women at Shifra Homes including mental health programming and operational costs.
• Syyidah Centre – Milton Halal Food Bank (external link)
  • $18,000 to support operational costs and food purchases in response to increased demand during COVID-19.
• Tetra Society of North America (external link)
  • $4,400 to develop custom-made assistive devices to enhance the lives of individuals with a disability.
• The AIDS Network (external link) as the lead partner in the Halton Equity and Diversity Roundtable (external link)
  • $99,400 for the ongoing work of the Halton Equity and Diversity Roundtable (HEDR). HEDR is a community collective of organizations, institutions, groups, businesses and individual community members that are committed to building systemic inclusion and equity in Halton.
• The Children's Aid Society of the Regional Municipality of Halton (CAS) (external link)
  • $28,248 to make renovations in four units at an Oakville CAS residence that provides transitional housing for youth.
  • $68,324 to provide a range of supports for youth in the Bridging the Gap program (external link) including case management, life skills support, housing start-up costs, a host home opportunity in Halton Hills and rent assistance for youth.
• The Women's Centre of Halton (external link)
  • $51,659 to provide peer support, referrals, navigation and workshops for women in crisis and/or transition.

• $355,517 allocated between March and May to support additional emergency shelter options and appropriate isolation facilities for individuals previously in congregate environments, who may be symptomatic or who were previously sleeping unsheltered.
• $116,981 to date for the purchase and distribution of critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for operations in emergency shelters, housing with related supports providers, and other key support service providers.
• Bethany Residence (external link)
  • $221,364 to assist with increased on-site staffing costs, increased supports for 110 residents, intensive cleaning and food security. Funding is also supporting the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hotel costs associated with pre-emptively moving residents into hotels to diminish potential virus transmission.
• Canadian Mental Health Association: Halton Region Branch (external link)
  • $2,700 for new technology that enables virtual peer support and life skills groups for homeless and at-risk individuals throughout Halton region.
• Compassion Society of Halton (external link)
  • $5,961 to purchase food and essential goods in Burlington.
• Food for Life (external link)
  • $50,640 to date to deliver essential goods, fresh food and hot soup to vulnerable residents across Halton region.
• Front Line Outreach (external link)
  • $5,000 to deliver food and essential hygiene products to vulnerable Oakville and Halton Hills residents.
• Halton Gujarati Seniors Samaj (external link)
  • $4,070 for tablets to keep older adults connected and engaged in weekly meetings and virtual events.  
• Home Suite Hope (external link)
  • $4,400 for new technology and other supplies for single mothers with limited financial resources to complete post-secondary requirements virtually.
• Learning Disabilities Association of Halton - Hamilton (external link)
  • $4,630 to provide one-on-one tutoring to students with learning disabilities to support at-home learning.
• Links2Care (external link)
  • $68,701 to support a community hub in Acton providing essential support services for vulnerable residents in Halton Hills, including food security
  • $52,200 for a system navigator to support homeless and at-risk populations to access the health care system. The initiative is in partnership with a Community Safety and Well-Being Action Table that is supporting coordinated access to services for residents who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.
• Parkside (external link) and Millhouse Resthomes (external link)
  • $20,000 to support increased on-site staff, cleaning, transportation and food costs.
• Salvation Army Burlington (external link)
  • $5,002 to purchase protective equipment and supplies for the safe operation of food programming in Burlington.
• Salvation Army Lighthouse (external link)
  • $71,300 to hire new staff to provide support services/case management to shelter clients and assistance with rehousing.
  • $4,281 monthly to support increased on-site cleaning and food distribution.
• Salvation Army Milton (external link)
  • $30,000 to support emergency food collection and distribution to vulnerable Milton residents.
• Support and Housing – Halton (external link)
  • $17,558 to support the organization due to ongoing safety protocols required at its eight housing properties.
• Wellington Square United Church (external link)
  • $5,028 to deliver prepared meals to vulnerable Burlington residents.
• Wesley Urban Ministries (external link)
  • $4,511 each month to deliver hot meals to individuals and families in temporary hotel environments.
  • $193,340 to support case management and rehousing efforts for single individuals in hotels across Halton.