On April 18, 2018, Regional Council approved more than $2.3 million in funding for community programs through the Halton Region Community Investment Fund (HRCIF). The HRCIF provides funding to non-profit social service and community health initiatives that support the health, safety and well-being of Halton residents. Funding is provided in one, two or three year grants, supporting programs that address mental health, prevent homelessness, support older adults, children and youth, and enhance food security.
“By supporting our non-profit partners to improve access to services, Halton Region is able to have a direct and tangible impact on our residents’ quality of life,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “A key priority of the Halton Region Strategic Action Plan, 2015-2018, is to increase the investment in the HRCIF, and Council is achieving this by increasing the funding from $702,691 in 2012 to more than $2.3 million today.”
Since 2012, the number of projects funded has more than doubled, from 25 to 55 currently. The following programs will receive funding from the HRCIF in 2018:
- Canadian Mental Health Association Halton Region Branch to provide free walk-in counselling.
- CNIB to help blind and partially-sighted older adults adapt to their sight loss.
- Central West Specialized Developmental Services to provide workshops on healthy sexuality to vulnerable clients and to provide training for community service workers.
- Community Living Burlington to support the Autism Job Club to provide pre-employment skills development to clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
- Distress Centre Halton to expand a telephone check-in program to support people with mental health issues.
- Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton to provide case management to individuals participating in the Halton Drug Treatment Court.
- Food for Life to support food collection and distribution to community agencies and partners serving Halton residents that have difficulty affording food.
- Food4Kids Halton to provide food to children who have limited or no food during weekends.
- Halton Children’s Aid Society to provide service navigation support for youth aged 14-24 in Halton Hills.
- Halton Food Council to support community garden programming in assisted housing communities.
- Halton Multicultural Council to support vulnerable refugee clients with a settlement plan, information and wrap around support.
- Kerr Street Mission to help train and mentor volunteers to support people in distress, isolated seniors and at-risk youth.
- Kerr Street Mission to provide a walk-in cooler/freezer that will increase access to fresh food for clients and expand partnership programs.
- Licensed to Learn to support one-on-one, peer-led tutoring programs for low income and at-risk children.
- Milton Transitional Housing to increase availability of bridge accommodation and supportive one-to-one counseling to people in housing crisis.
- Mississauga Furniture Bank to purchase a delivery truck to provide furniture and household goods to low income and vulnerable clients in Halton.
- Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre to support a network of service providers working collaboratively to reduce barriers and improve quality of life for people with complex needs.
- Open Doors at St. Christopher's - Feeding Halton to support the expansion of the Fresh Food Markets which provide local food at a discount to individuals with low incomes.
- Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK) to provide gender-diverse and trans-specific programs and peer support for children, youth and their families.
- Resiliency 4 Recovery - The Anglican Church of the Incarnation to expand recovery support programs for youth living with mental health, substance misuse challenges and other vulnerabilities. Funds will also support adults 30+ who are dealing with opioid misuse challenges.
- Schizophrenia Society of Ontario to train frontline staff at two local mental health organizations in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy related to psychosis.
- S.E.N.A.C.A. Seniors Day Program Halton Inc. to provide a therapeutic art program for physically and cognitively-impaired older adults.
- STRIDE (Supported Training and Rehabilitation in Diverse Environments) to develop and implement a workshop series to help people who have experienced an absence due to a mental health issue return to work.
- Support & Housing Halton to purchase a passenger van to transport clients to appointments, food banks, employment and other group activities.
- The Bridge from Prison to Community (Hamilton) to establish a reintegration program in Halton to work one-on-one with ex-offenders and their families.
In addition to new funding, 30 programs will receive funding as part of their second or third instalment of multi-year grants awarded in 2016 and 2017. In total, the HRCIF will be supporting 55 programs with over $2.3 million of funding in 2018.
Halton Region recently released its first-ever HRCIF Impact Report that profiles four funded projects from 2017 and also demonstrates HRCIF’s impact in the community.
To learn more about the Halton Region Community Investment Fund, visit halton.ca or call 311.
The Regional Municipality of Halton serves more than 550,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and planning; paramedic services; waste management; public health; social assistance; children’s and seniors’ services; housing services; heritage programs; emergency management and economic development. For more information, call 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at halton.ca.
-30-