City Committed to Helping Residents Find Permanent, Affordable Housing

The City of Greater Sudbury is committed to meeting the needs of our unsheltered and unhoused residents through supports and services aimed at helping them find permanent housing.

In the summer of 2021, the City commissioned the development of an encampment response guide. Staff have also implemented several other strategies over the past several months to improve the success of providing individuals experiencing homelessness with stable, permanent housing.

Over the past year, the following support services were put in place:

  • Development of a Coordinated Access System and By-Name List
  • Redeployment of two client navigator staff in Social Services
  • Addition of $150,000 annually in housing allowances to the Housing First program to increase housing options
  • Use of local motel for additional shelter capacity
  • Implementation of transitional housing program at a temporary site

 

Investments in housing opportunities:

Greater Sudbury Encampment Response Guide Solutions:

On November 23, 2021, City of Greater Sudbury staff presented a report to City Council with options for indoor shelter and housing solutions as outlined in the Greater Sudbury Encampment Response Guide.

Council recommended that staff work with a local non-profit to set up a temporary nine-bed low barrier emergency shelter for women. The service provider will be the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northeastern Ontario. Staff have been hired and the location has been finalized. The shelter is expected to open by the end of January.

During this meeting, Council made decisions to invest annually in the following housing supports:

  • Flex funds that continue to support persons wishing to relocate, return to home communities for family reunification, or for situations that cannot be easily resolved by existing funding sources. 
  • Master Leases for a private landlord of up to 20 units that can be assigned as housing for existing housing support programs, such as the Homelessness Network.
  • Housing allowances for the Housing First program to help individuals meet affordability gaps.
  • Bridge Housing that allows for individuals to stay at a local motel while they await permanent housing.   
  • Housing renovations for the conversion of an additional 10 two-bedroom social housing units to one-bedroom units to meet demand. In the fall of 2021, the City converted 20 two-bedroom units into one-bedroom units to assist with the waitlist demand for one-bedroom units.

Over the past six years, the City has worked with partners to fund housing solutions across the City of Greater Sudbury:

  • Home for Good Phase 1: 15 units
  • March of Dimes: 12 units
  • 1381 Paris Street: 65 units

Council approved additional affordable housing projects, which are currently in planning and construction phases:

  • Home for Good, Phase 2: 38 one-bedroom units
  • Sparks Street Project: 14 one-bedroom units for older adults
  • Raising the Roof: five single-family dwellings with secondary suite in the basement
  • Lorraine Street Supportive (transitional) housing project (pending funding confirmation from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Rapid Housing Initiative)

The City of Greater Sudbury 2019-2027 Strategic Plan includes revitalization and improvement of existing housing stock. The housing goal reflects Council’s desire for all citizens, especially vulnerable populations, to have access to safe, affordable, attainable and suitable housing options in the City of Greater Sudbury.

For more information on Community Housing, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/live/community-housing/housing-services1/apply-for-community-housing/. To learn more about the City’s homelessness initiatives, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/live/homelessness-initiatives/.

Did You Know:

  • To date, 142 people have been added to the By-Name List since inception in July 2021. Of the 142 individuals, 41 have been housed and 14 have been deactivated from the list due to a change in circumstances.
  • Residents can now apply for subsidized housing online. You no longer have to complete a paper application. Visit www.greatersudbury.ca/housing for more information.
  • The number fluctuates, but there are currently 788 active applicant households on the community housing wait list. The number of households placed has decreased significantly during the pandemic – fewer households are moving so fewer households are being housed:
  • 2018 – 560 households were placed
  • 2019 – 504 households were placed
  • 2020 – 338 households were placed
  • 2021 – 335 households were placed