Tab B: Homelessness

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19. Federal Homelessness Programming
20. Veteran Homelessness

Federal Homelessness Programming

Issue / question

What is the Government of Canada doing to address homelessness?

Suggested response

• Homelessness is a complex issue, and our government is committed to working with partners and communities to eliminate chronic homelessness in Canada by 2030. That is why we are investing $4 billion over nine years through Reaching Home to support communities in their vital work to prevent and reduce homelessness.
• Recognizing the seriousness of winter weather and the dangers it brings to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, the Government of Canada is providing $100 million as a one-time allocation for emergency 2023-24 winter funding.
• Since 2019, Reaching Home has supported almost 7,000 projects. Through these projects, over 71,000 people have been placed in more stable housing, and over 125,000 people have received homelessness prevention services such as rental assistance or landlord mediation.
• Budget 2022 announced $18.1 million over three years to support Action Research on Chronic Homelessness to identify actions needed to eliminate chronic homelessness.
• In April 2023, the Government of Canada launched a new Veteran Homelessness Program that will deliver $79.1 million to provide housing support and services to veterans experiencing, or at risk of homelessness.

Background

• Budget 2022: On April 7, 2022, the Budget announced:
  • an investment of $562.2 million over two years through Reaching Home, beginning in 2024-25;
  • $18.1 million over three years, beginning in 2022-23, to conduct action research to identify further measures required to eliminate chronic homelessness; and
  • a commitment to eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada by 2030.
• Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy : As part of the National Housing Strategy, the Government launched Reaching Home in 2019. This community-based program funds specific communities through the Designated Communities, Indigenous Homelessness, Rural and Remote Homelessness and Territorial Homelessness streams.
  
  Since April 1, 2019, Reaching Home has supported almost 7,000 projects:
  • 71,590 people have been placed in more stable housing;
  • 31,805 people began receiving income assistance;
  • 125,154 people received prevention services such as rental assistance or landlord mediation; and
  • 12,474 people started new paid employment.
• Reaching Home in Quebec: The Designated Communities stream and the Rural and Remote Homelessness stream are governed by a Canada-Quebec Agreement that respects the jurisdictions and priorities of both governments in the prevention and reduction of homelessness.  Negotiations with the Government of Quebec are currently ongoing to extend the Canada-Quebec Agreement to 2026, and to flow Reaching Home base funding, and additional funding announced in Budget 2022, to communities. The Indigenous Homelessness stream is administered by Infrastructure Canada throughout the province and is not under a Canada-Quebec Agreement.
• Action Research on Chronic Homelessness: These initiatives will inform the development of a broader strategy and identify actions needed to eliminate chronic homelessness by exploring ways to break down persistent barriers encountered by communities and facilitating broad scale learning and knowledge sharing between communities and jurisdictions across Canada.
  
  To do this, action research sites will:
  • Identify and document persistent barriers encountered by communities to reducing and ending chronic homelessness; and
  • Test potential approaches to address persistent barriers and document successes and challenges.
• Veteran Homelessness Program: The Services and Supports Stream will provide $72.9 million in funding for rent supplements and wrap-around services (such as counselling and treatment for substance use) and the Capacity Building Stream will provide $6.2 million in funding to support research on veteran homelessness and capacity building. Successful applicants have been notified and agreements will be in place in early 2024. Service providers are expected to start offering services in 2024.
• One-time winter funding allocation: Winter weather presents additional risks to people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered areas/outdoors. With local shelter systems, and the homeless-serving sector as a whole, nearing capacity in most regions, there is an urgent need for communities to expand their local responses this winter. To support communities in responding to unsheltered homelessness, the Government of Canada is providing $100 million for emergency 2023-24 winter funding under Reaching Home. This funding has been allocated to communities under the Designated Communities, Indigenous Homelessness, and Territorial Homelessness streams.

Veteran Homelessness

Issue / question

What is the Government of Canada doing to address veteran homelessness?

Suggested response

• The Government of Canada is working closely with partners in every order of government and across the private sector to help every Canadian access the housing they need, including Canada's veterans, who have served and sacrificed in the name of our country.
• On April 27, 2023, the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion launched the Veteran Homelessness Program with $79.1 million in funding.
• A national call for proposals was launched in April 2023 and applicants have been informed of the results of the selection process. Once agreements with successful applicants are in place, they will begin offering services to veterans in 2024.
• The Program will provide $72.9 million for rent supplements and wrap-around services like counselling and treatment for substance abuse. It will also provide $6.2 million to support capacity-building and research on veteran homelessness.
• The priority is to reach homeless veterans where they are, inform them of the services and benefits available to them, assist them in getting the support they need, and help them find suitable housing.

Background

• The Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion's 2021 mandate letter included a mandate to “Accelerate our Government's commitment to end chronic homelessness among veterans through the Rapid Housing Initiative, a new rent supplement program, wrap around supports and a dedicated stream of funding for veterans within the National Housing Co-Investment Fund.”
• Infrastructure Canada (INFC) estimates that there are over 2,600 veterans experiencing homelessness across Canada.

Veteran Homelessness Program

• Budgets 2021 and 2022 announced a total of $106.8 million over five years for INFC to launch a new Veteran Homelessness Program that will provide wrap-around services and rent supplements to Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness in partnership with community organizations.
• A call for proposals launched on April 27, 2023, and closed on July 6, 2023. INFC has reached out to selected applicants to discuss funding agreements following this process.
• The Program will provide $72.9 million through the Services and Supports Stream for rent supplements and “wrap-around” services such as counselling and treatment for substance use.
• Additionally, $6.2 million will be available through the Capacity Building Stream, to fund research and support capacity building.

Reaching Home

• Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness have access to programming through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy funding to communities.
• Since April 2019, the Government of Canada is investing $4 billion over nine years to address homelessness through Reaching Home. This includes a top-up of $100 million in emergency winter funding announced in December 2023 for many of the communities supported by Reaching Home, as well as $18.1 million over three years, announced in Budget 2022, to conduct action research on the additional measures needed to support communities in eliminating chronic homelessness.
• Coordinated Point-in-Time Counts in 2016, 2018 and 2020-22 included a core question on Veteran status. With this data, local resources can be targeted more effectively. Moreover, the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System, software used by service providers across the country, includes indicators to identify veterans for referral to veteran-specific services.

Other initiatives that support veterans

• The Minister of Veterans Affairs is responsible for various initiatives that support veterans and organizations that serve them. Budget 2021 announced $140 million over five years starting in 2021-22, and $6 million ongoing, for a program to cover mental health care costs of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive, or anxiety disorders while their disability benefit application is processed.
• Other examples of relevant Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) programming include the Veterans Emergency Fund; the War Veterans Allowance; the Assistance Fund; Treatment benefits; educational and employment assistance and mental health supports; programs that care for veterans with disabilities; and the VAC Assistance Service.

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