Canadians are invited to share their ideas on how to better prevent and reduce homelessness across Canada Français
GATINEAU, QC, July 17, 2017 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to preventing and reducing homelessness in Canada. To support this commitment, the Advisory Committee on Homelessness, chaired by Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary (Housing and Urban Affairs) to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, was recently announced.
To assist the Advisory Committee with its work, an online engagement process has been launched to gather feedback and ideas from Canadians on how to prevent and reduce homelessness in Canada. All Canadians are invited to share their views and ideas through the online survey and by sharing their stories before the end of August 2017.
The Advisory Committee will consider the feedback and ideas from the engagement process and will provide the Minister with options for the redesign of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS).
Quote
"Homelessness is a reality for too many Canadians and a challenge for every community in Canada. This engagement process is crucial to providing practical solutions on the redesign of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy. We need to hear directly from Canadians, stakeholders and partners to make sure the best options to prevent and reduce homelessness are put forward.ˮ
– Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary (Housing and Urban Affairs) to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Member of Parliament for Spadina-Fort York
Quick Facts
- The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) provides almost $600 million over five years (2014-2019), with a focus on the Housing First approach to help people secure stable housing while providing them with support for underlying issues such as mental health and addiction.
- Budget 2017 proposes a total investment of $2.1 billion over the next 11 years to expand and extend funding for the HPS beyond 2018-2019 in order to better prevent and reduce homelessness.
- This new investment builds on funding provided through Budget 2016 of $111.8 million over two years ($57.9 million in 2016-2017 and $53.9 million in 2017-2018) to give communities the support and flexibility they need to help prevent and reduce homelessness and test new and innovative approaches – particularly among specific homeless populations such as Indigenous Canadians, youth, women fleeing violence and veterans.
- Since 2007, nearly 35,000 Canadians who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless benefitted from education and training opportunities; over 17,000 individuals have received help to find part-time work and 17,000 have received help to find full-time employment; more than 6,000 new shelter beds have been created; and over 82,000 people were placed in more stable housing between 2007 and 2014.
Related Products
- Backgrounder: About the Homelessness Partnering Strategy
Associated Links
Hearing from Canadians on ways to prevent and reduce homelessness
Minister Duclos announces membership of the Advisory Committee on Homelessness
Advisory Committee on Homelessness
Homelessness Partnering Strategy
Backgrounder: About the Homelessness Partnering Strategy
About the Homelessness Partnering Strategy
The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) is a unique community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness by providing direct support and funding to 61 designated communities.
Through the HPS, qualified organizations and other eligible recipients may receive funding for projects to help prevent and reduce homelessness in Canada. These projects are funded through regional and/or national projects.
Regional projects
Funding delivered regionally focuses on the needs of homeless and at-risk individuals at the local level, and aims to help individuals gain and maintain a stable living arrangement. The three regional streams are:
- Designated Communities
- Rural and Remote Homelessness (non-designated communities)
- Aboriginal Homelessness
National projects
The national funding streams help to develop a better understanding of homelessness based on local data collection, and makes surplus federal real properties available to organizations that plan to use the facilities to address homelessness and enable the testing of innovative solutions to homelessness. The three national streams are:
- National Homelessness Information System
- Surplus Federal Real Property Initiative
- Innovative Solutions to Homelessness
About the Advisory Committee on Homelessness
The mandate of the Advisory Committee on Homelessness is to support the redesign of Employment and Social Development Canada's HPS beyond 2018-2019.
During its mandate, the Advisory Committee on Homelessness will:
- explore in greater depth the ideas and the recommendations heard through the National Housing Strategy engagement process with respect to homelessness;
- undertake targeted engagement with homelessness experts and with communities and other stakeholders from across Canada;
- analyze specific options for the redesign of the HPS; and
- provide the Minister with its findings.
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
Émilie Gauduchon-Campbell, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, 819-654-5546; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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