A $21 million provincial cut to homelessness prevention funding in Toronto will make it harder for thousands of poor residents to stay out of shelters, residents and community advocates say.

The biggest chunk of the cut, $12.8 million, is from the province-wide elimination of a  program that gave up to $1,500 every two years to families that were facing eviction, in danger of having their utilities cut off, fleeing domestic violence, moving from shelters or unsafe housing, or unable to replace bedbug-infested furniture or broken appliances.

In 2013, Toronto will offer a similar benefit itself — but with far less provincial money available, the city will give priority to the people considered “most vulnerable.” Others may get less or nothing at all.

“The bottom line is that one of the primary tools people have had to help stabilize their tenancies and prevent eviction is gone,” said Linsey MacPhee, manager of the Toronto Drop-in Network.