Funding Announced to Address Housing and
Homelessness Issues in Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Housing and Homelessness resources in Happy Valley-Goose Bay got a boost today as the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, and Lead Minister for the Poverty Reduction Strategy announced $79,450 in funding support for the Labrador Friendship Centre. The funding is part of the overall investment of approximately $840,000 to multiple community organizations that was announced recently from the 2010-11 Supportive Living Community Partnership Program.

“This investment is being used to create a staff position within the Labrador Friendship Centre that will assist people with complex needs who seek housing in Happy Valley-Goose Bay region,” said Minister King. “People in vulnerable circumstances sometimes need dedicated, ongoing assistance to overcome challenges they face. This new housing support worker position will provide this kind of help.”

The Labrador Friendship Centre’s Housing Support Worker is available to provide support to anyone in the community who is facing multiple barriers in their efforts to secure housing. This support includes helping people access Provincial Government services they may need, helping people find housing options, and helping people in their interactions with their landlords.

“I am very pleased to see this new level of outreach available,” said the Honourable John Hickey, Minister of Labrador Affairs and MHA for Lake Melville. “As Labrador continues to grow in prosperity, the availability and affordability of housing will continue to be an important issue. This new service provided by the Labrador Friendship Centre directly addresses this challenge, and I commend them for their efforts.”

“We are very excited to add this level of one-on-one housing support to the set of programs and services we already offer,” said Gary Broomfield, President of the Labrador Friendship Centre. “With the funding provided through the Provincial Government’s Supportive Living Community Partnership Program, we are going to provide extensive and personalized housing assistance to a lot of people in need.”

An initiative of the Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Supportive Living Community Partnership Program provides funding to community-based organizations so they can develop comprehensive housing supports for people who need them. Projects funded through the program have focused on building capacity among community-based organizations, extending regional outreach services, providing training and professional development, and sharing best practices.

The program began in 2009 with a budget of $1.2 million, which was doubled in 2010 to $2.4 million, and doubled once more to $4.8 million through Budget 2011 Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador. A call for proposals will soon be issued for 2011-12 program funding.

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2011 07 18                                                                        10:25 a.m.