In Ontario, and Lanark County, homelessness is defined as “a situation in which an individual or family is without permanent, appropriate housing or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it.” This can look like many things. It could mean staying in a makeshift shelter (such as an encampment or a vehicle) or no shelter at all. It could be an emergency shelter or temporary accommodation, such as couch surfing with friends of family. It could be someone leaving a provincial institution, such as a correctional facility, hospital or the child welfare system, with nowhere to go.
Lanark County administers short-term emergency shelter benefit through the Housing Assistance Program. This program supports persons who’ve become homeless recently, victims of domestic violence, or people who’ve been impacted by an apartment fire or a similar type of emergency.
For information on these short-term emergency shelter benefit, please call 613-267-4200 extension 2140 or toll-free 1-888-9-LANARK.
After-Hours Homelessness Response
Lanark County Victim Services provides after-hours response to individuals and families who are homeless and in need of emergency social services. Services provided are based on the need assessed, and may include assistance with securing emergency accommodations for the night, food, and transportation to the accommodations.
Individuals and families in-need that are located within the geographic area of Lanark County may call 613-206-1486 from Monday to Friday from 4:00pm to 8:30am, and weekends and holidays, 24 hours per day to access this service.
During office hours, contact Lanark County Social Services – Homeless Response Team directly for assistance with homelessness emergencies at 613-267-4200 extension 2117.
Finding Shelter from the Heat
Within Lanark County, there are many locations where individuals are able to cool off and find shelter from the heat during the summer months. A document with all of these locations can be found here.
Outreach
One way you are able to help those who are unhoused within Lanark County, is by reporting encampments. This can be done by reaching out to our Lanark County Homelessness Response Team Monday to Friday between 8:30 am- 4:00 pm.
Phone: 613-267-4200 x 2140
Toll Free: 1-888-952-6275
A ByName List is a real-time list of people experiencing homelessness in our community. It includes a robust set of data points that support coordinated access and prioritization at a household level, and an understanding of homeless inflow and outflow at a system level. This real-time actionable data supports triage to services, system performance evaluation, and advocacy.
See the following:
Get Added to the ByName List
If you are currently experiencing homelessness, and would like to be added to the local ByName List, please complete the following Intake and Consent Forms and forward to BNL@lanarkcounty.ca.
For more information, please contact: Valerie Hogan, BNL Admin Lead, Homelessness – 613-267-4200 Ext. 2117
What is a ByName List used for?
- Track how many people are becoming homeless, moving into housing and changes in real-time.
- Measures progress toward goal of homelessness reduction
- Collects concrete evidence for the services we need more of to best meet community needs
- Share client information between service providers to reduce duplication of work, avoid individuals re-answering the same questions multiple times
- Prioritize clients based on vulnerability and need
Housing Resources Available to Participants of ByName List:
- By Name List Rent Subsidy (Short term rent subsidy to bridge time between securing market rent and securing a rent subsidy or RGI until)
- Priority Access to Adult Supportive Housing Beds
- Mental Health Housing Base Case Management
- Harm Reduction Supports
- Bridge Housing at 9 Armstrong, Smiths Falls (access to transitional housing units with LCMH)
- Housing Assistance Funds (additional access to housing assistance funding to secure sustainable affordable housing opportunities)
- Youth Homelessness Supports with Cornerstone Landing Youth Services
All services above are dedicated to people on the By Name List actively experiencing homelessness living in Lanark County
The Committee and Access Partners
Partner agencies adding participants to BNL and/or receiving matches as a housing resource.
- Lanark County Mental Health
- Lanark County Interval House
- Lanark Leeds & Grenville Addictions & Mental Health
- Victim Services
- Cornerstone Landing Youth Services
- Lanark County Social Services
- Lanark County OPP
- Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
The Homeless Response Team works closely with several privately operated, permanent residences for people who required additional support and need Adult Supportive Housing. The primary factors in determining and approving eligibility for subsidy for placement in Adult Supportive Housing are:
- Medical need
- Financial need
- Appropriateness of placement
Adult Supportive Housing Providers
- Victoria House, Smiths Falls
- Rideau Ferry Country Home, Drummond North Elmsley
- Shardon Manor, Montague
- Paradise Valley, Carleton Place
Yes In My Backyard
The Yes! In My Backyard (YIMBY) Campaign pairs Lanark County with many other local groups and organizations to prevent and address homelessness in our community. Read the report to learn how.
Winter Weather Response
The 2024-2025 Winter Weather Response is a homeless-centered plan for keeping people safe. Read it here: Winter Weather Response Plan 2024-25
10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan
The Lanark County 10-Year Plan is a framework for improving access to safe and affordable housing for our residents. Learn more here: Housing and Homelessness Plan
