An update was given to council for the County’s Social and Property Services department.
The department oversees operations for Ontario Works, Children’s Services, Housing Services, and Property Services.
Director Barbara Hall informed council that on average 315 families and 550 individuals access Ontario Works.
This also includes 90 children who are in Temporary Care who receive assistance from OW.
Hall says that currently, Ontario Works is going through a phase of modernization, which includes an employment services transformation, which allows for recipients of Ontario Works services to be assisted with their employment search.
Within the Children’s Services section, their main focus is child care.
Hall shared that 280 children were covered by fee subsidies in 2022, which assists households with the costs associated with childcare.
With the help of the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program, fees that parents face have been reduced by approximately 62%.
The director also shared with council that under the purview of affordable housing, they oversee 331 apartments and 84 family units for community housing, which are rent-geared-to-income, along with 31 affordable housing units, and the local non-profit and co-operative shelters and apartments.
