ENGLEHART – With wait lists for social housing ranging from two to seven years, and more than 2,100 households on social assistance in the district, “economic vulnerability” is considered to be at an all-time high in Timiskaming.
Those are a few of the sobering statistics from the District of Timiskaming Social Services Administration Board (DTSSAB) in its proposed new 10-year housing and homelessness plan.
“Rising rents, economic instability, and limited access to affordable housing have placed significant pressure on individuals, service providers and government systems,” said DTSSAB housing services manager Steve Cox.
“While progress has been made in expanding prevention programs and strengthening system coordination, demand continues to outpace available resources.”
Presenting his report to DTSSAB’s May 20 board meeting, Cox said there are currently 14 individuals in the district on the “by-names list” a confidential, consensual list of homeless people. Since being launched in November, 2022, the list has tracked 351 unique individuals experiencing homelessness.
Cox said the by-names list is kept up to date with the help of community support agencies.
“We hold bi-weekly meetings and the community support agency speaks on behalf of the individuals that they represent on that list,” he said. “That’s been very successful within our district.”
MATCHING UP
DTSSAB, he said, makes a point of trying to match up vacancies with those on the list where possible.
“We’ve made a practice of every six to seven vacancies potentially offering a unit for somebody on our by-names list if they’re eligible, and housing one of those individuals,” he said.
The new 10-year plan to address these complex issues was approved by the board and has now been sent to the provincial government for approval. A response is expected sometime in the next 90 days before it becomes policy.
In a public survey conducted as part of the plan development, Cox noted 93 per cent of people agreed that homelessness in the District of Timiskaming is worse than ever.
“Stigma, misconceptions and complexities of navigating the housing system poses a barrier for individuals experiencing homelessness,” he said. “Broader, system-wide collaboration is required, including public education.”
As part of the plan, Cox said DTSSAB is working with private landlords to get a more complete picture of the housing situation in the district.
“We are currently working on a private landlord inventory to complement our inventory of housing units so that we can better identify the number of units within the district and then meet with the private landlords to potentially provide opportunities for individuals on our list to enter the private landlord stream rather than wait (for social housing)” he said.
When it comes to those in danger of becoming homeless, Cox said the board sometimes intervenes proactively.
“In certain situations, it is cheaper to keep someone housed than to rehouse them,” he said. “So we focus on assisting tenants and clients who have arrears in their utilities or their rent and so forth as long as they’re eligible in an eligible situation.”
Updates to the report are required annually, and are submitted to the Ministry.
“This will allow for any changes or adjustments made to the plan in the event that there are changes to the housing and homelessness situation within our district,” Cox said.
By Joe O’Grady, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on May 27, 2026 at 08:20
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