Reaching Home program
Providing funds for community services to address the needs of residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Now open for applications
Apply for the Reaching Home program by October 17th at 11:59pm
Reaching Home is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness by providing direct support and funding to Designated Communities, Indigenous communities, territorial communities, and rural and remote communities across Canada.
The Region of Peel has been designated the Community Entity, or fund administrator. We’re responsible for guiding a community planning process through a Community Advisory Board to help set funding priorities and recommends projects for grants.
Community Advisory Board
The Community Advisory Board is a local organizing committee responsible for guiding Reaching Home in Peel Region. Members are chosen through an open call for volunteers and represent the diversity of our community. All are committed to helping end homelessness in Peel. Advisory board members, with support from the Region of Peel and Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Canada staff, will review your application and make funding recommendations.
Community plan
The advisory board has developed the Reaching Home Community Plan which identifies existing conditions in Peel and funding priorities through to 2024.
The plan was approved by the Canadian government in September 2020 and will be updated every four years.
Priorities
The advisory board is encouraging applicants to demonstrate the following components into their proposed projects:
- Creative and innovative approaches to ending homelessness in Peel.
- Strong partnerships with other service providers and/or community groups.
- Meaningful engagement of people with lived experience of homelessness in the design and implementation of your proposed project.
- Applied an equity and inclusion framework.
- Priority will be given to community agencies that support under-serviced areas including: Cooksville, Caledon, Port Credit, and Malton.
Applicants who successfully demonstrate these components will be prioritized for funding.
Other information
Proposed projects must serve or target individuals or families who are experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. Under Reaching Home funding, definitions are as follows:
Homelessness is defined as a situation of an individual or family who does not have a permanent address or residence; the living situation of an individual or family who does not have stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it.
At imminent risk of homelessness refers to a housing situation that will end in the near future (e.g., within two weeks) where the household does not have the immediate prospect, means or ability of acquiring a subsequent residence.
Chronic homelessness includes staying in unsheltered locations, that is public or private without consent, or places not fit for human habitation, staying in emergency shelters, and staying temporarily with others without the guarantee of accessing permanent housing. Chronic homelessness refers to individuals or family who is currently homeless and who meets the following criteria:
- They have a total of at least 6 months or 180 days of homelessness in the past year (12 months).
- They have recurrent experiences of homelessness over the past 3 years, with a cumulative duration of at least 18 months or 546 days.
Complete the Reaching Home application for funding by October 17th at 11:59pm
If you're applying for funding for a capital project, review and complete the following with your application:
There will be a virtual information session held on October 1, 2024 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The information session will be recorded and can be shared with any applicants unable to attend. Email zzgreachinghome@peelregion.ca to register for the session or to request a copy of the recording.
Peel's 2024/2025 Reaching Home support services and capital projects budget is $5,600,000.
Funds will be available for use between October 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.
No maximum limit on the amount of funding an applicant may request
The quantity and quality of proposals received will determine the number of projects funded and the amount of funding each project receives. The need in the community is great and demand from community organizations for funding will likely exceed the available amount.
Types of eligible expenses for funding
Support services
Capital projects
Requirements related to capital projects
Reporting requirements
Reaching Home funded agencies are expected to provide the following reports:
Quarterly reporting | |
|---|---|
| Financial report (due within 15 days following the close of each quarter) | To ensure projects are on budget and fall under eligible activities and expenses. |
| Activity report (due within 15 days following the close of each quarter) | A narrative of how the project is performing. |
| Data collection tool | RH-funded agencies will be expected to collect data on their project, including demographics in the following categories (where applicable):
There may be other reports requested by the fund administrator. |
Proposal evaluation
All proposals, that are complete and submitted on time, will be evaluated by the Reaching Home Community Advisory Board (CAB). Proposals will be scored using a standard set of scoring tools assessing the proposals' alignment to the objective, outcomes and deliverables identified in the Guide and Application form.
Applicants who successfully demonstrate components of the CAB priorities in their project will be prioritized for funding.
Help with funding application
There will be a virtual information session held on October 1, 2024 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The information session will be recorded and can be shared with any applicants unable to attend. Email zzgreachinghome@peelregion.ca to register for the session or to request a copy of the recording.
If you have other questions about the application, refer to the Reaching Home Guide and Application form first.
Email us with any additional questions.
To be eligible for a Reaching Home 2024/2025 grant, your organization must meet the following requirements:
- Be an organization located in Peel Region with a mandate to provide human and social services.
- Be incorporated as a non-profit organization for a minimum of 2 years.
- Be governed by a volunteer board of directors that is representative of the community it serves.
- Be an organization that provides equal access to services for individuals of diverse cultures and disabilities.
- Have established and documented financial management systems in place and be able to provide relevant annual financial documents.
- Comply with the Ontario Human Rights Code in hiring practices and in provision of all its services.
- Have the appropriate and necessary liability insurance coverage for all aspects of the organization.
Under Reaching Home, Coordinated Access (CA) is a way for communities bring consistency, equity, and efficiency to the process by which people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness access services, housing and related resources within a geographic area. With a CA system in place, people across a community are directed to access points, where trained workers help them to access a range of services through a process of initial triage. When vacancies in housing units, subsidies or supports become available through CA, these housing and related resources are offered to people that have been prioritized for them, based on a matching process that considers individual strengths, needs, and preferences, as well as local priorities. Throughout the process, people are helped to navigate next steps, sometimes through targeted case conferencing.
Requirement
Reaching Home requires all sub-projects receiving funding from the Region of Peel to participate in the Coordinated Access system and Peel's Unique Identifier List (sometimes referred to as a By-Name List.)
Reaching Home funded projects providing housing placement (rapid rehousing, transitional housing, supportive housing) and associated support (case management) must receive referrals and fill vacancies through the Coordinated Access process.
Projects which have multiple funding sources may have program requirements imposed on them by other funders, and are encouraged but will not be required to assign all housing vacancies to the clients assessed through the Coordinated Access process.
Reaching Home funding is administered by Housing Client Services in the Human Services Department at the Region of Peel.
If you have questions or require assistance with your Reaching Home application, you can email us.
We're committed to responding to your email within 2 business days.
You can also call:
- Grace Gyles, Supervisor, Housing Client Services at 905-872-5298.
Join the Community Advisory Board
The program is coordinated at the community level by the Community Advisory. The Region of Peel is accepting applications from residents in Peel to join the Community Advisory Board.
The advisory board is the local organizing committee responsible for setting direction for addressing homelessness in the community. It's responsible for developing a plan, reviewing applications, and recommending funding for Reaching Home projects.
As the Service Manager for the affordable housing system, the Region of Peel is required by the Canadian and Ontario governments to conduct a Point-in-Time Count every 2 years.
This count is one of the methods used to understand the nature and extent of homelessness at a single point in time. It’s used to understand local homeless data and to give resources to where they are needed most. The information is also used to improve services and to inform Peel’s 10-year Housing and Homelessness Plan.
Access the 2021 Point-in-Time Community Report.
As fund administrator, Peel Region is required to complete and publish a Community Homelessness Report to track our progress.
