One-year program will help reduce homelessness and prevent evictions through community partnerships 

Sault Ste. Marie, ON – April 7, 2026: The District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) is launching a new initiative through the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH)’s Homelessness Reduction Innovation Fund (HRIF) to help keep more people in our community safely housed. 

The one-year project, Eviction Prevention as a Pathway to Ending Homelessness, focuses on stabilizing housing before individuals and families experience homelessness.  

Through this project, DSSAB and partners aim to prevent 42 community members from experiencing homelessness this coming year, representing a 13.7% reduction in known homelessness by the project end date of March 31, 2027. 

To achieve this, housing stability workers will be deployed to provide trauma-informed, culturally safe in-home support services, including landlord mediation, referrals to financial supports, and targeted assistance to address issues that often lead to eviction. CAEH will provide guidance and coaching and work with the community to share takeaways from this initiative so other communities in Canada can learn from what works. 

“Through the Homelessness Reduction Fund, our government is supporting community‑driven solutions that help prevent homelessness and ensure more Canadians have a safe and stable place to call home,” said the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister Responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada, “This project will help ensure individuals and families in Sault Ste. Marie have access to the supports they need, when they need them—strengthening housing stability and contributing to a healthier, more resilient community.” 

“Too often, people only receive help once they’ve already lost their housing, but by then, the human and financial costs are much greater. Sault Ste. Marie is working to get ahead of the crisis by focusing on prevention, showing what’s possible when we act early and collaboratively,” said Tim Richter, President and CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.” 

“This funding is an important tool in our housing tool box and part of a holistic approach to supporting better outcomes across our community,” said Stephanie Pagnucco, Chair of DSSAB. “By working closely with our partners, we can help people maintain stability, stay housed, and access the supports they need before reaching a crisis point. When we prevent eviction, we strengthen the wellbeing of individuals, families, and our entire community.”   

“This pilot program will allow us to provide early, practical support to individuals who may be at risk of losing their housing, helping them remain stable and avoid crisis,” said Jackie Martin, Executive Director of JHS. “Supports may include assistance navigating annual requirements, building skills to maintain housing, and resolving tenant-landlord challenges. We thank CAEH for investing in approaches that prioritize long-term housing stability.”  

“Niigaaniin Services is excited to work with Indigenous community members in Sault Ste. Marie to support eviction protection, help people remain in their homes, and keep families together,” said Elizabeth Richer, Director of Niigaaniin Services. “This work reflects our commitment to Indigenous Peoples supporting other Indigenous Peoples with culturally grounded supports that strengthen community well‑being.”  

“Indigenous people are disproportionately unhoused, and this funding will work to change that reality,” said Sally Ledger, Interim CEO of OAHS. “Through this initiative, OAHS will be able to support Indigenous community members’ housing security and provide connections to the culture-based wraparound services that are essential to long-term housing stability.”  

The project will receive $565,000 through the Homelessness Reduction Innovation Fund, a $45-million initiative led by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness and funded by the Government of Canada that supports communities in testing innovative solutions to reduce and prevent homelessness.  

“The Homelessness Reduction Innovation Fund is an example of how the Government of Canada’s Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy is helping to reduce homelessness and ensure Canadians can stay living in their own homes for longer,” said Terry Sheehan, Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma. “Using a targeted, data-informed approach, the District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board and Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness will work to measurably reduce homelessness and enable community members to remain in their homes. Sharing what they learn from this project will also support communities across the country working on similar reduction initiatives.”  

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Homelessness Reduction Innovation Fund Quick Facts:  

• HRIF was announced in 2024 by the federal government as part of a $1B commitment to Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy. 
• HRIF is a $45M fund led by CAEH over three years to support projects to rapidly reduce homelessness. 
• In 2025, $7M was distributed to 16 communities in Canada through the first round of funding. 
• Communities who receive funding must have quality By-Name Data to track inflow and outcomes. 
• This project focuses on reducing inflow into homelessness by supporting tenants before eviction. 

Media Contacts:

Riley Barsanti, DSSMSSAB, r.barsanti@socialservices-ssmd.ca 
Jarrah Hodge, Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, media@caeh.ca 
Jackie Martin, John Howard Society, jmartin@jhsossm.ca 
Erik Bringleson, Niigaaniin Services, erik@niigaaniin.com  
Erika Luoma, Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, eluoma@oahssc.ca