The District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB) will be receiving another $407,000 in discretionary funding from the province.
Nipissing MPP, Vic Fedeli announced the funding at a media event held at his constituency office Friday morning.
“We’ve been hearing from our local social services board that we need additional funds, that they have situations still in North Bay. So I went back and fought for the money,” Fedeli told the media.
Fedeli’s office says the money can be used for such things as protecting homeless shelter staff and residents, renovating or building shelters, creating long-term housing solutions and planning for more emergencies.
The funds are in addition to the $4.2 million the province provided DNSSAB in October, which primarily helped offset the costs the board incurred during the pandemic.
Mark King, chair of DNSSAB says he is pleased the board will receive some additional help to address issues brought on by the pandemic.
“The pressures of COVID-19 on the community, and the vulnerable homeless population in particular, have been a top priority. The additional funding is critical to support further relief efforts in this regard,” King stated.
With the province’s investment into social services, Fedeli hopes the federal government will follow suit.
“Homelessness doesn’t have a government level, it affects everybody. We hope that the feds will come along with a good proposal and a good package that Nipissing can apply for,” Fedeli said.
The money comes from a $510-million dollar provincial investment aimed at helping social services in municipalities across Ontario.