Affordable housing units for families escaping violence could get $300,000 funding boost in Brampton

The city is looking to spend more money from the Liberal government’s housing fund to help women and children fleeing gender-based violence find a safe place to live.

A motion put forward by Coun. Rowena Santos going to Brampton City Council tomorrow could see Brampton commit $300,000 in funding to Armagh House – a non-profit group with a focus on transitional supportive housing for women and families.

With fully furnished accommodations, Armagh House facilities support over 50 families in Peel Region including 12 in Brampton by providing safe and affordable temporary housing, on-site counselling and even legal help for victims of gender-based violence.

Clients are often referred from emergency shelters or the Peel Children’s Aid Society Domestic Violence Team, and Armagh House also provides transitional support for up to one year to help survivors live independently.

The proposed funding boost to Armagh House from the city’s HAF coffers would be a cash grant of $300,000 “subject to the negotiation and execution of a mutually acceptable agreement with the City,” the motion reads.

Armagh House says the additional funding will allow for additional outreach programming to support more women and families and fund direct client services on-site at community agencies throughout Brampton.

If approved by council on Wednesday the money would come from the $114 million in Housing Accelerator Funds (HAF) gifted to Brampton by the Liberal government in March, dollars Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says will help build 24,000 new homes in the city over the next decade.

Armagh House provides fully furnished living for women and families escaping gender-based violence in Brampton. (Photo: Armagh House)

Armagh House says it provides survivors with “wrap around” and trauma-informed support through the aid of case workers, child and youth workers, career counsellors and therapists.

The City of Brampton declared a gender-based and intimate partner violence epidemic last year after the killing of Brampton woman Davinder Kaur was recorded and posted online. Data from the Region of Peel shows some 75 per cent of women without housing reported abuse and conflict with a partner, spouse or parent as their main reason for housing loss.

More than 35 Armagh House families in the past year have begun “living independent lives, free from violence,” the organization says.

If the $300,000 in funds are approved it will mark the second time in as many weeks that Brampton has dipped into the HAF to fund affordable housing projects in the city.

Mayor Patrick Brown said last week the city is setting a precedent with plans to approve millions in funding for a 148-unit affordable housing development in Brampton’s Mount Pleasant community. The proposal from Home Opportunities Non-Profit Corporation includes plans for a mix of townhouses and stacked 1- and 2-bedroom units along with a co-housing building with 38 units.

The city previously approved $6 million from the HAF to help build two new Habitat for Humanity affordable housing developments in Brampton. The pair of developments were at risk due to an “unprecedented” rise in construction costs before the city stepped up with a funding boost and will bring 27 new affordable housing units to Brampton.