Province invests $9.6 million for Sudbury's Home for Good project

The Canadian Mental Health Association in Sudbury got what it calls its largest influx of funding ever.

The provincial government announced a total of $9.6 million for the agency's Home for Good project.

The funding includes capital dollars and money to operate three years of the program, Marion Quigley, chief executive officer at CMHA Sudbury-Manitoulin said.

She adds a building on Larch Street will be renovated into a community hub of social services and housing needs.

"So the goal is to end homelessness in 10 years, so 2025," she said.

"It's an optimistic goal, but if we don't set a goal we don't have anything to work towards. So as a partner in all this CMHA realizes it is optimistic but we are working towards it, one person at a time."

Quigley says the money will go a long way to helping address homelessness in Sudbury.

"I think that this really does change the whole landscape of the downtown core around housing and homelessness," she said.

"You will see changes over the next few years and improve the health outcomes of people living in the downtown core, with mental health and addictions."

The Home for Good project also includes adding a 15-bed home for the CMHA's harm reduction program for those seeking treatment for alcohol addiction.