4 <p Funding a way forward Part 4 of 4 Hundreds of thousands of Canadian _ children are growing up in poverty. In § Ontario, more than 370,000 children § lived in a lowâ€"income household in MILTON CANADIAN CHAMPION | Thursday, Décember 8, 2016 | 38 2013, only slightly better than the naâ€" tional average of 14.3 per cent. Halton, perceived as an affluent community, is ;’ not immune with 1 in 10 residents af Jected by poverty. More than 11,100 children are living in poverty locally. In 1989, the federal government vowed to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000, yet little progress has been made. ................................. By Melanie Hennessey, Todd Vandonk and Nathan Howes METROLAND MEDIA GROUP sk anyone and they‘ll tell you there‘s no easy way to solve the complex issues that surround povâ€" erty and homelessness. But that doesn‘t mean there aren‘t plenty of ways to make life betâ€" ter for those who are struggling in the meantime, says a local panel of experts who spoke at Milton Tranâ€" sitional Housing‘s (MTH) recent foâ€" rum on the topic. And with the holiday season upon us, there are simple things that local residents can do to make the world a better place for families living in poverty or facing a housing crisis. From manning a Salvation Army Christmas kettle to donating gifts and essentials to places that serve those in need, like the Halton Women‘s Place shelter for women and children fleeing abuse, there‘s plenty the average person can do. The need, however, doesn‘t end afâ€" ter the holiday season. According to Food for Life Executive Director Brenda Hajdu, awareness about the realities of homelessness and povâ€" erty in the community needs to be raised all year long. "There‘s a tremendous amount of stigma around having to ask for help," she said. "The more individuâ€" als who are aware of these types of situations, the more we can help each other." unique way that some local landlords are helping year round is by renting out their units to MTH, which helps pay the rent for those facing a housing crisis while they get back on their feet. Local landlord Dan Giampuzzi took a leap of faith in MTH after being apâ€" proached by the charâ€" ity years ago. Today, he serves as the landlord for six of MTH‘s nine units. "Was I taking a chance? Absolutely," he said of his decision. "But they (MTH clients) are good in their hearts kind of people. They‘ve just had some back luck, but they have a strong willingness to overcome that. Why wouldn‘t I want to help them? They deserve it. That‘s the kind of society we‘re trying to build." Giampuzzi said he enjoys working with MTH as it‘s different than dealâ€" ing with a government agency. "I‘m working with the decision makers â€" that‘s a huge advanâ€" tage," he said. For those outside MTH‘s program, affordable and available housing options in Milton are few and far between. With the overall rental unit vacancy in Milton sitting at just over one per cent and rent starting at $1,079 for a oneâ€"bedroom unit, more needs to 3,460 households on housing waitlist, as of Dec. 2015 t sw j hn s i omm w I 1 en be done to create plentiful, affordâ€" able housing for local residents. "This is something Halton Region is trying to proactively work towards," said Halton Housing Services Supervisor Jayne Hartiey during the MTH forum panel discussion. Next year, the muâ€" nicipality will be seeking _ requests for proposals for purposeâ€"built rental housing in the region. "We recognize that we need to think outside the box to get supply to match demand," she said. According to the most recent Onâ€" tario Nonâ€"Proft Housing Assoâ€" ciation‘s waiting list survey report, there were 3,460 households on the Halton Access to Community Housing waitlist for social housing as of December 31, 2015. This is a slight decrease from the 3,906 in 2014. "It‘s important to note that 50 per cent of these households currently reside in communities outside of Halton Region, said Halton‘s Direcâ€" tor of Housing Services Andrew Balahura. The Region has undertaken several initiatives to address the housing issue, including the Halton Inâ€"situ Program (HIP) that provides a porâ€" table benefit to eligible residents so that they can remain permanently housed in their own homes with Dan Giampuzzi, a local landlord who rents six of his units to Milton Tranâ€" sitional Housing clients, speaks to guests at the notâ€"forâ€"profit organizaâ€" tion‘s recent forum on housing. Graham MIMW% housing subsidy. As of the December 31, 2015, 151 Halton residents had received supâ€" port through the HIP program rangâ€" ing from $250 to $850 per month. Thousands of Canadians are afâ€" fected by homelessness. According to the recentlyâ€"released Canadian Observatory on Homeâ€" lessness Research Paper, The State of Homelessness in Canada 2016, 35,000 Canadians are homeless on any given night with at least 235,000 Canadians experiencing a housing crisis in a year. Of those, 27.3 per cent are women and 18.7 > Insidehaliton.com Lo ® . y t .\ 0c 6 me 6 . t sÂ¥ Â¥ * *% 3 ts * % ‘TeXx a t s «& C sn +# sey sie w wn ,‘R -0\ tm ut + *he «s w *% + s 4 . «* s s w an . a ut be 8 Cap® L. LA I % Jw# n w -“‘ t l 0 + 4 eSRA 8 » & * As 4 w0 20. «on Alm Nn 4 AA » Sn $ oi ut per cent are youth. There are approximately 400 differâ€" ent emergency shelters with 15,429 beds across the country. While the number of people using emergenâ€" cy shelters has decreased, the numâ€" ber of bed nights used by individuâ€" als is on the rise. The State of Homelessness in Canâ€" ada reports that the number of stays lasting 30 days or more has increased from 9.1 per cent in 2005 to 12 per cent in 2014. The percentâ€" age of shelter beds being used on any given night has increased from 82 per cent in 2005 to 92.4 per cent in 2014. The need for supports is real. new partnership between the Ontario government and Halâ€" ton Region aims to put an end to homelessness in the region. With an investment from the Provâ€" ince, through the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, Halton will receive more than $5 million in 2017/2018 and $5.8 milâ€" lion in 2018/2019 to help families and individuals stay in their homes or receive the housing supports they need. The funding is part of a provincial commitment of more than $632 million to municipalities over the next two years to help families and individuals at risk of homelessness. The money will fund emergency financial assistance to prevent evicâ€" tion, longâ€"term and transitional