Government of Canada announces additional agreements with municipalities on homelessness

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 22, 2025 /CNW/ - Despite attempts to work out a deal that would see the federal and provincial governments work collaboratively to support the most vulnerable people in our communities, Ontario and Saskatchewan were not able to agree in time to deliver funding before the winter. As a result, the federal government worked directly with key cities in these provinces.

Today, the federal government announced that agreements to support people living without homes, including in encampments, have been signed with nine additional Ontario municipalities: Durham, Toronto, Peel, York, Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Ottawa, and Sudbury, and two Saskatchewan cities: Regina and Saskatoon. Under these agreements, the federal government will provide a total of more than $91.5 million, over two years. The municipalities will match federal funding.

A similar agreement with the City of London was announced on December 13, 2024. In total, the federal government is delivering over $88 million to 10 municipalities in Ontario and approximately $8 million to two cities in Saskatchewan. This is on top of what the federal government is investing through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy, a total of $1.6 billion in Ontario and $124 million in Saskatchewan.

Funding will support the implementation of cities' Community Encampment Response Plans and immediately provide additional support to people living without homes. Each plan is tailored to the specific needs of a community. A broad range of activities will be supported across these agreements, including creating new shelter spaces, increasing transitional housing options, and providing case management services to help people find and keep permanent housing.

More agreements with provinces and territories are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Quotes 

"In Budget 2024, we made a $250 million commitment to help our provinces and municipalities
address the urgent issue of encampments and homelessness. These agreements are an important part of our response, but we know there is more work to be done to expedite the development of affordable, deeply affordable, and supportive housing to ensure that all Canadians have a place to call home."

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities 

Quick facts 

• The Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative will help reduce the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, particularly those living in encampments. It is based on the deployment of a Community Encampment Response Plan (CERP) in each targeted community, adopting an approach that promotes housing stability with support services to ensure the dignity of individuals.
• Federal funding provided for this agreement is part of a $250 million commitment, outlined in Budget 2024, to address the urgent issue of encampments and unsheltered homelessness across Canada.
• The $250 million investment from the federal government was intended to serve as a tool to coordinate matching funds from provincial and territorial governments to address encampments throughout the country.
• Agreements have been signed with the City of London, Quebec and Northwest Territories and announced in 2024.
• Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy supports the goals of Canada's Housing Plan and the National Housing Strategy – to support the needs of the most vulnerable Canadians and to improve access to safe, stable and affordable housing.
• This funding complements federal investments made through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy, which provides funding and support to urban, Indigenous, territorial, and rural and remote communities to help them address their local homelessness needs.
• Since 2015, the federal government has helped almost two million Canadians find a place to call home.

Associated links 

Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy
Canada's National Housing Strategy
Canada's Housing Plan
UHEI Announcement - City of London
UHEI Announcement - Quebec
UHEI Announcement - Northwest Territories

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SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

For more information (media only), please contact: Sofia Ouslis, Press Secretary, [email protected], Office of the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities; Media Relations, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll-free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]