Simcoe County’s rent bank – the program that the county uses to directly assist families at risk of homelessness – received a critical cash injection last week.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing allocated $333,580 for the regional rent fund, which assists families in not only the county’s 16 member municipalities, but also in Barrie and Orillia.

“We’re predicting this funding could keep us going for another year and a half,” said the county’s community services manager Greg Bishop.

The bank had run dry last October, he said, and the county could not longer assist those families struggling to pay for shelter, utilities and food. Started in January 2005, the rent bank program supported 498 local households, with an average of $1,305 each, for a total assistance budget of $649,913.

“The Rent Bank has really proven to help people avoid becoming homeless,” said Bishop, adding that a similar program assists with hydro arrears. Together, they comprise the Housing Retention Program, which is fully provincially funded but administered locally.

The county works with five housing resource centres and the David Busby Street Centre in Barrie to reach those families most in need of help.

While out of cash, the county continued to track the need for rent arrears assistance; Bishop said had the county had cash, it could have assisted 150 families since the bank ran dry.

Strict rules ensure those receiving the cash only access the funds once every two years; the program also sets a maximum of two months’ rent.

Municipal Affairs Minister Jim Watson said the province is working to create a comprehensive poverty-reduction strategy, which include affordable housing.

“Short-term arrears is the most common reason tenants with lower incomes lose their homes and are forced into shelters. Our rent bank program has proven to be a great success in helping tenants remain in their homes,” he said.