Thunder Bay City Hall (File Photo/Acadia Broadcasting)

An organization in Thunder Bay is receiving $1 million to support the unhoused population in the city.

Lakehead Social Planning Council is receiving the funds as an additional allocation through Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.

“This support recognizes the urgent and challenging circumstances faced by those without stable housing and provides a critical step toward safer, more secure living environments,” said Executive Director, Marie Klassen. “According to the 2024 Point in Time Count, 557 individuals in Thunder Bay were experiencing homelessness.”

“As the Designated Community Entity for the local Reaching Home initiative, the Lakehead Social Planning Council collaborates directly with its Indigenous counterpart, Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre. Our shared role is to collaborate collectively with community partners to address unsheltered homelessness and encampments, recognizing that this ongoing effort will require a sustained and multisectoral effort.”

The funding stream runs from 2019-20 to 2027-28 and the addition brings Thunder Bay’s total received up to $11.6 million.

“This investment makes sure that dollars that were going to lapse at the end of this fiscal could be repurposed to address high levels of homelessness in these two communities,” said the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. “These communities are responding with a variety of transitional supports and wrap-around services that are helping people exit homelessness and find permanent housing, this is the goal.”

The funding is being invested in services and support to help those in need find suitable housing and to address systemic challenges that contribute to chronic homelessness.