Preventing Crisis Through Coordination
The Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee (HSJCC) Network brings together partners across health, social services, housing, justice, and government to reduce costly justice involvement for people with complex needs. When systems do not work together, individuals cycle through hospitals, shelters, and jails at significant public expense. The HSJCC Network delivers practical, community-driven solutions that improve service coordination, reduce duplication, and divert people from crisis systems into care, housing, and support. Chronic underfunding is undermining this coordination capacity. This submission calls for $550,000 annually to sustain HSJCC operations, alongside increased investment in community mental health, addictions, justice services, and housing for people leaving custody.
What Ontario needs to do now
Ontario is spending more on crisis responses than on prevention. Delays in access to housing, treatment, and community supports drive repeated hospitalizations, court involvement, and incarceration for people with complex needs. While the HSJCC Network works to disrupt this cycle, inadequate funding is limiting its impact.
We urge the Government of Ontario to invest $550,000 annually to sustain HSJCC coordination, stabilize community mental health, addictions, and justice services, and expand housing options for people leaving custody, including bail beds, transitional housing, and supportive housing. These modest investments will reduce system pressures, improve public safety, and deliver better outcomes at lower cost.