Homeless in Canada
Selected News, Media Releases and Special Reports

Sections Homeless in Canada: Resources Homeless in Canada: News & Reports Aboriginal Canada Homelessness: Definitions, Strategies & Solutions - Ideas and Approaches Poverty in Canada: Resources Poverty in Canada: News and Selected Reports Selected Homelessness & Poverty Resources: Global

This second section of our pages on Homelessness and Poverty in Canada presents selected media releases and special reports regarding housing and homelessness, human rights and legislation, call for action, plans and strategies; welfare issues, average rents, cost of living and related issues may be included, but are presented chiefly in the Poverty sections. Homeless counts, statistics, local initiatives and community services are presented at Homeless in Canada: Resources.
For selected coverage prior to 2006, click here.

On this page...

The frequent updates and burgeoning number of items on this page
make difficult the full indexing of content. The news and reports below
are roughly organized by date, most recent first. Click the above link
for a drop-down menu overview.

Public Perceptions about the Nation's Homeless

Source: Canada Speaks:
Salvation Army Report Reveals Public Perceptions about the Nation's Homeless
Press Release, Salvation Army (www.salvationarmy.ca) | 25 May 2011
Emphasis in original, links and PDF added.

Dignity Project Seeks to Address Persistent Myths About 150,000 Canadians Living on the Streets

TORONTO, May 25, 2011 /CNW/ - Canadians have spoken and they have something to say about homelessness in Canada. A report released today by The Salvation Army provides a unique look into how Canadians feel about the more than 150,000 homeless living on the streets in cities across the country. The report, "Canada Speaks," is a part of The Salvation Army's ongoing Dignity Project - a national effort to educate and engage Canadians about the reality of poverty in the 21st century.

The survey of more than 1,000 Canadians, conducted this April by Angus Reid Public Opinion, revealed that a surprising number of Canadians have had first-hand experience with homelessness and related issues - nearly one-quarter of Canadians have received or are currently receiving assistance from a food bank or charitable group while seven percent reported that they have had to sleep on the street or in a shelter due to lack of housing at some point in their lives

Additional key findings include:

• Approximately 40 percent of Canadians believe that most homeless people want to live on the street and in shelters.
• Almost 30 percent of Canadians believe that a good work ethic is all you need to escape homelessness.
• Nearly one-fifth of Canadians believe that individuals experiencing homelessness are always to blame for the situation they are in.
• 43 percent of Canadians never give money to a homeless person on the street.
• 40 percent believe that most homeless people are mentally ill.
• More than one-third of Canadians are scared of homeless people.

Also:

• Nearly all of the respondents believe that individuals experiencing homelessness deserve a sense of dignity.
• 93 percent agree that no one in Canada should be homeless.
• 86 percent of Canadians believe that housing is fundamental right for all Canadians.
• 75 percent acknowledge that once you become homeless it is exceptionally difficult to get into housing

"The people of Canada have spoken and revealed much about their attitudes and perceptions about the nation's homeless," said Commissioner William Francis, leader of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda. "We hope that through this report and the Dignity Project, we can continue to educate and inspire the public and work towards a Canada without homelessness."

The Salvation Army is highlighting the issue of homelessness this month as part of its annual May Red Shield Campaign and the ongoing Dignity Project. Money raised during the campaign will directly support those living in poverty today through social services like emergency shelter care, substance abuse counseling and employment training. The Dignity Project is designed to inspire and educate the public about what it means to live in poverty - and what they can do to help. Through online events, on-the-street outreach, traditional advertising, social networking and other communications tactics, The Salvation Army will engage Canadians about the reality of poverty in the 21^st century.

"The vast majority of Canadians agree with The Salvation Army's belief that nobody in Canada should be homeless and housing is a fundamental right for all Canadians," said Commissioner Francis. "Now, it's time to come together, and address some of the myths that still surround the more than 150,000 of our fellow citizens who don't have a home and determine a solution to this persistent societal problem." [...]

Youth Homelessness and the Role of the Family

Winnipeg: Street Health Report 2011

An Important Election Issue:
The right to adequate housing ... the significance of Bill C-304

Toward a National Housing Strategy

Source:Law Reform — Bill C-304
Bruce Porter, Social Rights Advocacy Centre Accessed 14 April 2011.

Bill C-304 was before the Parliament of Canada awaiting debate and third reading, with the committed support of the majorithy of parliamentarians, when the Conservative Government was defeated on a Motion of Non-Confidence on March 25, 2011. Introduced as a private member's bill by Libby Davies, MP, the bill had been significantly enhanced by amendments adopted by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities to conform with key recommendations from UN Human Rights bodies for a national housing strategy in Canada based on the right to adequate housing. The Bill includes:

• targets and timelines for the elimination of homelessness
• a process for the independent review, addressing and reporting of complaints about possible violations of the right to adequate housing;
• a process for review and follow-up on any concerns or recommendations from United Nations human rights bodies with respect to the right to adequate housing;
• a key role for civil society organizations, including those representing groups in need of housing, and Aboriginal communities in designing the  delivery, monitoring and evaluation of programs required  to implement the right to adequate housing;
• provision of financial assistance to those who cannot otherwise afford housing.

The Bill had also been improved by an amendment from the Bloc Quebecois recognizing Quebec's unique commitment to the rights in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and its ability to participate in a national strategy through its own programs and policies.

• View a copy of the Bill as amended and reported to Parliament:
  Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act
• And See: Steering Committee on Human Rights Implementation in Canada: Letter to Members of Parliament, 12 November 2010.

TB Death Rates among the Homeless

Source: Death rate from tuberculosis in homeless alarmingly high: study
Media Release, Julie Saccone, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto (16 Feb 2011)
Links added.

Years after provincial inquiry, more work is needed to improve prevention and treatment measures for people with tuberculosis

One in five homeless people with tuberculosis die[s] within a year of their diagnosis, according to a study led by Dr. Kamran Khan [St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto]. And that number remains unchanged over the last decade despite recommendations calling for greater improvements in prevention and control of tuberculosis in homeless shelters.

A provincial coroner’s inquest into the death of Joseph Teigesser, a homeless man who died of tuberculosis in Toronto in 2001, made 13 formal recommendations. These included provincial funding for a centralized clinic system to provide specialized care for those with tuberculosis in Ontario and a review and improvement of shelter ventilation systems. However, the work surrounding these two key recommendations has fallen short, the researchers say in the study.

"The treatment of tuberculosis is often complicated by inadequate housing, substance dependence, language barriers, mental health problems, not to mention the enormous stigma that comes with this disease," Khan says. "To effectively control tuberculosis, centres with specialized expertise and resources are needed to address these complex issues."

The 10-year study, published in the March issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, also found a growing proportion of tuberculosis cases in Toronto’s homeless shelters are in immigrants, raising the risk that dangerous drug resistant strains of tuberculosis could enter the shelter system.

The study found nearly 40 per cent of all tuberculosis cases in the homeless were in immigrants. About 56 per cent of all infections in immigrants involved strains that were not known to be circulating in the city, and were likely acquired in other parts of the world where drug resistance is common.

Historically, tuberculosis in Toronto’s homeless population was mostly a disease of Canadian-born men. While highly drug resistant tuberculosis is unusual among people born in Canada, it is an emerging threat in many developing areas of the world. If a drug resistant strain of tuberculosis were introduced into the shelter system, it could set off an outbreak that would have serious public health implications and be very difficult to control. Financial resources to manage such an outbreak would dwarf the costs of strengthening preventive measures today, the researchers warn.

"There's been a lot of good work on tuberculosis prevention and treatment in the homeless sector in Toronto over the last several years, and ventilation systems in shelters have improved, although dedicated funds are needed to make further improvements," said Dr. Elizabeth Rea, a study co-author and associate medical officer of health with Toronto Public Health. "But we also need more affordable housing and we need better access to primary and specialized care for vulnerable homeless individuals."

Tuberculosis is a serious, contagious disease caused by a bacterial infection. Once a person is exposed to tuberculosis, the infection can remain dormant for years to decades before becoming active. However, persons with weakened immune systems, including many homeless persons, are at much greater risk of developing the active form of tuberculosis. While most tuberculosis cases are treatable, highly drug resistant strains of tuberculosis can be life threatening and require years of treatment to cure.

"We need to do a much better job in preventing tuberculosis from spreading in this vulnerable population, and in providing timely, effective clinical care for those who are affected by this disease," says Dr. Michael Gardam, co-author and director of the tuberculosis clinic at the Toronto Western Hospital. "We have shown in previous research that treatment in dedicated tuberculosis clinics by experienced staff plays a major role in improving the likelihood of survival from tuberculosis."

And See: TB deaths show need for housing solution: CMA head
CBC News (21 Feb 2011)

Update released: 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness — Calgary

Source: Calgary Marks 3rd Anniversary of 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness
News Release, Calgary Homeless Foundation; Marketwire (28 January 2011)
Links added.

"Outstanding progress" cited as focus turns to system reform in update to 10 Year Plan released today

The Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) marked the third anniversary of Calgary's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness [...] with community and government partners today. At an event held at noon, the CHF celebrated success in the first three years and released an update to the 10 Year Plan [see video, below].

"We've made outstanding progress in the first three years," said Tim Richter, President and CEO of the CHF. "The next three years will be all about building on that success and improving the coordination and effectiveness of the homeless serving system."

The updated 10 Year Plan contains some minor course corrections and spells out in more detail the focus of the next three years, including plans for structural changes to the homeless-serving system and an ambitious goal to close gaps in public systems like health care, corrections and children's services that unintentionally contribute to homelessness.

[...]
The first three years of the 10 Year Plan were focused on creating rapid, visible and meaningful change in Calgary's response to homelessness. Highlights include:

• A shift in three years from Calgary having the fastest growing homeless population in Canada to stabilized emergency shelter use, despite a recession.
• New Housing First programs helping to house and support 2,000 men, women and children
• Several local, provincial and national 'firsts' including:
  • building the first Homeless Management Information System in Canada;
  • initiating the first Project Homeless Connect in Alberta;
  • applying Housing First to youth and to those experiencing domestic violence;
  • drafting the first Plan to End Youth Homelessness;
  • implementing case management standards for agencies working with those at risk of or experiencing homelessness;
  • building the Homelessness Asset and Risk Tool to predict and prevent homelessness;
  • assembling a research network and agenda to end homelessness;
  • engaging the private sector in the 10 Year Plan through funding and leveraging skills; and
  • developing a tool to assess the risk of mortality and thus prioritize those most vulnerable.

Calgary's 10 Year Plan was first published on January 29, 2008, at a time when the city had Canada's fastest growing population of people experiencing homelessness. A multi-stakeholder, community-based group of leaders from the public and private sectors, the faith community and non-profit agencies decided Calgary needed to shift its thinking from managing homelessness to ending it.

The 10 Year Plan targets an end to homelessness by January 29, 2018. Ending homelessness means that an individual or family will stay in an emergency shelter or sleep outside for no longer than one week before moving into a safe, decent and affordable home with the support needed to sustain it.

Changes in the updated 10 Year Plan released today include:

• a plan to build a homeless-serving system focused on ending homelessness;
• an increased emphasis on homelessness prevention and reform of public systems that contribute to homelessness;
• a refocused housing strategy that concentrates limited resources on housing for those in greatest need;
• added attention to the unique needs of vulnerable subpopulations, including youth, women, families and Aboriginal Peoples;
• combining the prevention and re-housing strategies in the original 10 Year Plan; and
• beginning a process to transition to community leadership and planning for long-term sustainability of success.

Eleven other Canadian cities have drafted 10 Year Plans, and momentum is building across the country to create a Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness modelled on the National Alliance to End Homelessness in the United States.

The 10 Year Plan model continues to be successful in more than 300 communities across the United States. The model is based on Housing First, where people experiencing homelessness are quickly moved into appropriate housing where they can begin to work on the issues that contributed to their homelessness from the stability and safety of a home. Research demonstrates that it costs less to provide appropriate housing and support to a person at risk of or experiencing homelessness compared with providing short-term and ongoing emergency and institutional responses. [...]

VPD Homeless Outreach Program...

Source: Vancouver police officer reaches out to the homeless
Rod Mickleburgh, Vancouver; Globe and Mail (4.01.11) Links added.

Affordable housing in Canada...

Source:
AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN CANADA:
2010 - The year in review
2011 – The year for long overdue action?
The Wellesley Institute (January 2011)

Will 2011 be the year that Canada finally re-joins other leading nations of the world by implementing a comprehensive and fully-funded national housing plan? A powerful foundation for a long-overdue housing strategy was laid in 2010 with actions in Parliament, the courts and the community.

The pressure is growing for a co-ordinated strategy that links the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments, along with the non-profit and private sectors. Canada is alone among the developed countries of the world without a national housing plan. Deep and persistent housing insecurity is not only disrupting individuals, but it is affecting the health of communities and both local and national economies.

Follow the hyper-links throughout this backgrounder for a tour of housing and homelessness highlights from 2010 that will have an impact on policy in 2011. [...]

Homelessness and inadequate housing in northern Canada
disproportionately afflicts Indigenous people...

Source:
Homeless in the Homeland: A Growing Problem For Indigenous People in Canada's North
Frances Abele, Nick Falvo, Arlene Haché. Council to Homeless Persons (www.chp.org.au). [WORD]
Also at HomelessHub. First published in Parity December 2010;23(9):21-3.
Other articles in the same issue are shown below.

Ontario's Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy

Source:
Building Foundations: Building Futures — Ontario's Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Government of Ontario. Ontario.ca/HousingStrategy
(Released 29.11.10)

From the Ministry site: An Overview Local Plans and Accountability Consolidating Housing and Homeless Local Plans and Accountability Simplifying Rent-Geared-To-Income Rules pp.9-10 Improving Client Services Today, there are more than 20 provincial housing and homelessness programs in Ontario, each operating independently of each other and with their own rules. Currently, municipalities are generally required to use funding only for specific purposes set out by the province. People in need of services can find it discouraging and difficult to gain access to uncoordinated programs. A central element of the long-term strategy is to consolidate the current patchwork of provincial housing programs and allow municipalities to use funding in a more flexible manner, reflective of local need. [...] Through the strategy, an integrated, client-centred approach will replace the current program-focused system that is bound by unnecessary, restrictive guidelines. Housing supports will be wrapped around individuals and families, according to their specific needs. Of the approximately $430 million in annual provincial operating funding, almost half will be consolidated by 2013. For example, funding that must currently be used for emergency shelter beds could instead be used to provide a person with more stable housing, if it was a better way to meet community needs. Tax dollars could be used more efficiently as remaining funds could be used to provide additional social supports that might further help someone get ahead. Click to enlarge This is a real example of how a strategy focused on partnerships and putting people first would work. Housing programs would be flexible and tailored to local needs. [...]

Source: Ontario housing strategy: Won't reduce long wait lists. thestar.com (30.11.10) Claiming it needed "the time to get it right," the Liberal government at Queen's Park long delayed releasing a long-term affordable housing strategy. That's what makes what was released Monday – three years after it was first promised in the 2007 election campaign – all the more disappointing. The housing strategy is little more than a series of regulatory changes that reduce red tape, simplify convoluted rules and provide municipalities more flexibility to cater to local needs. These measures, which Housing Minister Rick Bartolucci is trying to pass off as a full-fledged strategy, could have been carried out as part of various government initiatives to streamline regulations and modernize rules. One change (calculating income annually, instead of monthly) will be helpful to low-income households lucky enough to already live in subsidized housing and to raise their income levels through paid work. Under the new rules, their rent would not go up for a year. The strategy is called "Building Foundations: Building Futures," but it does not propose actually building any new housing. Nor does it fund any new rent subsidies to help people afford existing apartments. That means it does next to nothing for the 142,000 low-income families in Ontario on waiting lists of up to 20 years for subsidized housing. With demand obviously outstripping supply, Ontarians deserve better than a long-term strategy that has no targets for building more social housing and no new funding to support. To be sure, the existing legislation governing social housing is outdated, and there are regulations that create barriers for low-income tenants. It makes sense to change these laws, as the government is doing with a new bill. But legislative changes alone will not transform lives, open doors and lower rents for families in need. "It is essential that Ontario families have a safe, affordable place to call home," says Laurel Broten, the minister responsible for Ontario's overall poverty reduction strategy. We agree. But this plan doesn't make it happen for the 142,000 households who are desperately waiting for a home they can afford without skipping trips to the grocery store.

Housing Vulnerability and Health: Canada's Hidden Emergency

Source: Report: For Every 1 Homeless Person in Canada, Another 23 Live in Inadequate Housing; Both Groups Suffer Same Health Problems, Poor Diet and Barriers to Health Care
Media Release, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto (19.11.10) Links added.

Researchers Say Canada Needs a National Housing Strategy

Dr. Stephen Hwang. Image Credit: St. Michael's Hospital

For every one person in Canada who is homeless, another 23 live in unsafe, crowded or unaffordable housing, meaning the country's housing crisis is even worse than previously thought, according to Dr. Stephen Hwang of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

Those "vulnerably housed" people have the same severe health problems and dangers of assault as homeless people, said Hwang, principal investigator of a new report on housing and health issues in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa.

"The key point is that Canada needs a national housing strategy," Hwang said. "We all recognize that health care is important for good health, and so we have universal health care. Decent and affordable housing is just as essential for good health."

The report, "Housing Vulnerability and Health: Canada's Hidden Emergency," [...] contains startling new data from the first Canadian study to chart the changes over time in the health and housing status of the homeless and vulnerably housed and the first to compare their health outcomes.

There is no accurate count of the number of homeless people in Canada, because so many are hidden or sleep on the streets or friend's couches. In 2005, the federal government estimated there were 150,000 homeless Canadians, or about 0.5 per cent of the population, although homeless advocates have always said the number was much higher.

Source: Housing Vulnerability and Health: Canada's Hidden Emergency A report on the REACH3 Health and Housing in Transition study, Keenan Research Centre, Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St. Michael's Hospital (November 2010; released 19.11.10, at the annual research forum of the Alliance to End Homelessness in Ottawa) For the first time in Canada, we have the numbers to show that people who are vulnerably housed face the same severe health problems - and danger of assault - as people who are homeless. The number of people experiencing the devastating health outcomes associated with inadequate housing could be staggering. There are about 17,000 shelter beds available across Canada every night, but almost 400,000 Canadians are vulnerably housed. This means that for each person who is homeless in Canada, 23 more people are vulnerably housed — paying more than half of their monthly income for rent, and living with substantial risk of becoming homeless. Key findings: People who don't have a healthy place to live — regardless of whether they're vulnerably housed or homeless — are at high risk of serious physical and mental health problems and major problems accessing the health care they need. Many end up hospitalized or in the emergency department. 40 per cent of people who don't have a healthy place to live have been assaulted at least once in the past year, and one in three have trouble getting enough to eat. Key recommendations: We're calling for the federal government to respond by setting national housing standards that ensure universal, timely access to healthy (i.e. decent, stable, and affordable) housing. [...] → Download the Report

The report by Hwang's group notes there are 17,000 shelter beds regularly available across the country. But, for each person staying at a homeless shelter, there are another 23 people — about 400,000 across Canada — who are vulnerably housed and at risk of becoming homeless, meaning they had a place to live, but it was in bad condition, crowded, unsafe or cost more than 50 per cent of their income.

"Before now, researchers and decision-makers have often thought of these groups, the homeless and the vulnerably housed, as two distinct populations, with two different levels of need," Hwang said. "This study paints a different picture."

According to the report, both groups of people share the following problems:

• Chronic health conditions such as arthritis (33 per cent), Hepatitis B and C (30 per cent) and asthma (23 per cent)
• 38 per cent have been assaulted in the past year
• 52 per cent have been diagnosed with a mental health problem
• One in three has trouble getting enough to eat
• 38 per cent cannot get the health care they need
• 55 per cent visited an emergency department in the past year

In the next phase of their study, the researchers will undertake the first study in Canada to discover how often homeless people get housing and stay housed, and how often the vulnerably housed become homeless – and the health implications of these changes. If the vulnerably housed become homeless, do they use health care more and does their health deteriorate, and if the homeless find homes does their health improve and health care use decrease?

Hwang is a physician in the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at St. Michael's. He leads a group called the Research Alliance for Canadian Homelessness, Housing, and Health (REACH³), which includes some of Canada's leading academic researchers and community organizations with expertise on homelessness. The study of longitudinal changes in the health and housing status of 1,200 homeless and vulnerably houses single adults in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa is one of REACH³'s projects and is known as the Health and Housing in Transition (HHiT) study. [...]

Putting up homeless patients in BC acute care beds:
The need for a larger anti-poverty plan and coherent housing strategy.

Source:
BC hospitals putting homeless up in beds
The Canadian Press, Yahoo! Canada News (14.11.10)

VANCOUVER - Provincial hospitals are increasingly putting up homeless patients in acute care beds because they have no place else to go, according to data from British Columbia's Ministry of Health.

The data, obtained by the Opposition New Democrats, shows that hospitals have been increasingly converting beds into a form of social housing over the past decade.

NDP Health Critic Adrian Dix speaks in front of St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver Sunday. (Carmine Marinelli, QMI Agency) Credit: Poverty policy pressuring hospitals: Dix, Dharm Makwana, QMI Agency, 24 Hours Vancouver (15.11.10).

Although the patients no longer need hospitalization and would normally be discharged, health care professionals are giving them the designation of "alternative level of care."

Homelessness, inadequate housing and other problems related to housing and economic circumstances are given as reasons for keeping patients at the hospital.

Each acute care bed costs about $1000 a day, said NDP health critic Adrian Dix.

"When we talk about the costs of housing, there's also the costs of not providing housing — this is clearly one of those costs," Dix said Sunday.

Comparing the number of patients staying in such beds in 2001-02 versus 2008-09 reveals an increase of 192 per cent, from 154 to 458 beds. The rise for homeless patients alone went from 18 to 88 beds in the same time frame, a jump of 388 per cent.

Dix blames cost-cutting by the B.C. Liberals for the trend.

"When you don't provide adequate services in the community, frequently those problems come back to you through the emergency room in the hospital or, in many cases, through the criminal justice system," he said.

"Prevention is always less expensive than dealing with these issues after the fact."

The government should follow the lead of many other provinces and implement a larger anti-poverty plan and coherent housing strategy to address the need, Dix argued.

"They will find if they do that, that there are positive implications. Not just for society in the reduction of inequality, but for government in real cost reductions."

Alberta Identification Cards

Source:
ID program will help homeless with jobs, banking:
Government ID opens doors, says advocate
Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald (8.10.10)

A new process to help homeless people obtain secure provincial ID cards will aid in tasks most Albertans take for granted, such as getting a job, renting an apartment and opening a bank account.

"Lack of identification has a domino effect. We want to remove those barriers homeless people face for everything," Jonathan Denis, minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, said at a news conference announcing the new process on Thursday in Edmonton.

Jonathan Denis, minister of housing and urban affairs, holds a sample card that will give homeless easier access to a variety of services. Credit: Edmonton Journal. Photo Credit: Brian Gavriloff, The Journal, Edmonton Journal.

"Many of these people do have jobs and I'm proud they will now have an option to set up a bank account, so they don't have to go to cheque cashing places with punishing fees. Twenty to 30 dollars may not be much to us, but it's a lot to those who are struggling."

Denis said the changes are part of the province's 10-year plan to end homelessness and make all Albertans more independent. [...]

The homeless will get the same provincial ID card that's available to those who don't have a driver's licence, at a cost of $12.30 annually, says Donna McColl, spokeswoman for Housing and Urban Affairs.

"Agencies have people trained to help guide individuals through the process," she said. "They can search for forms of identification to verify their identity, then sign off for them to get their card." [...]

It is estimated about 8,500 people in Alberta have no fixed address.

Obtaining an Alberta Identification Card...

Source:
Personal Identification
Housing & Urban Affiars, Government of Alberta
Accessed 11 October 2010.

In June 2009, a Government of Alberta (GOA) cross-government committee, chaired by Housing and Urban Affairs, was formed to help homeless Albertans acquire identification (ID) and to increase access to vital GOA assistance programs and services. Two significant barriers that homeless people face when trying to obtain ID are having an address and verification of identity. To address this, the committee developed two new processes to help homeless Albertans obtain government-issued ID cards:

• The Address Authorization process authorizes the use of a shelter or drop-in's address for a homeless person applying for an Alberta Identification Card.
• The Identity Certification process certifies the applicant's identity. It allows a homeless or recently housed person to work with a service provider to verify their identity and obtain acceptable supporting documents in order to apply for an Alberta Identification Card.

Without official ID, a homeless person cannot access certain community services and programs. This barrier can create a domino effect that makes it more difficult to obtain a permanent home.

Address Authorization and Identity Certification

• Between October and December 2010, training to deliver ID services to the homeless will be provided to government-funded shelters, drop-in centres, and homeless-serving agencies across the province.
• Once an agency receives training and certification, it may offer the service to homeless individuals.
• All Housing and Urban Affairs-funded shelters and agencies funded by a community-based organization will be notified of the training opportunity in their city. All other interested agencies can e-mail hua.certifyingagency@gov.ab.ca for more information.
• Click here to view the list of homeless serving agencies that currently offer this new service.

Visit the site for updates regarding the new agencies are available to deliver this service.

Source:
Precarious Housing in Canada 2010
Wellesley Institute (16 August 2010)

Precarious Housing in Canada (2010) is a powerful, new research and policy report from the Wellesley Institute. Using the most comprehensive and current data, research and analysis, Precarious Housing sets out a pragmatic, five-point plan targeted to the millions of Canadians who are living in substandard, over-crowded and unaffordable homes – plus those who are living without any housing at all. Housing is one of the most important factors for a healthy life. A good home is important for individuals and for overall population health. The growing number of Canadians who are precariously housed continues to be a deep and persistent problem throughout the country; the nation-wide affordable housing crisis is costly to individuals, communities, the economy, and the government. Federal housing and homelessness investments – adjusted for inflation and population growth – have been shrinking over the past two decades; and, while the federal government announces short-term initiatives from time to time, Canada still doesn't have a comprehensive, fully-funded and integrated national housing strategy.

Full Report Executive Summary Part One: Framing the challenge Part Two: VISION 2020, Toward a national housing plan

From the Executive Summary...
This report demonstrates the link between the improvement of precarious housing and better population health (which leads to reduced health inequities). It also provides a strong vision for a national housing plan for rectifying the problem of precarious housing, which we hope will provide the framework for continued serious debate.Consequently, the report is presented in two parts: Part I reviews precarious housing in the national and international context, and part II addresses policy actions toward a national housing plan.

This report is meant to address a wide range of issues fromwhich various stakeholders (e.g.,governments,housing advocates,private and public sector housing providers) can draw information and action points.

Part II of this report, Vision 2020: Toward a National Housing Plan details how these goals can be achieved. Meeting these goals and ensuring access to affordable, decent housing for all will make an immense contribution not only to the immediate health conditions and prospects of so many vulnerable people but also to the overall health of Canadians.

Source:
Homeless and Jailed: Jailed and Homeless
The John Howard Society of Toronto (August 2010)

Each year, more people — mostly men — are leaving Toronto jails with nowhere to call home and no plan or supports to keep them from heading back to jail [...]
→ More people released from jail face homelessness: Report, Jim Rankin, thestar.com (10.08.10)

Executive Summary...
Previous research has established that being homeless increases the likelihood of ending up in jail, while imprisonment increases the risk of homelessness and the length of time that homeless people spend in shelters. The number of homeless prisoners in Toronto area jails is increasing. And a small, but growing, number of men are caught in a revolving door between jails and shelters.

This report explores the housing situation of adult men serving sentences in Toronto area jails, focusing on those who are homeless. These prisoners‘ housing plans on discharge, as well as their immediate and anticipated service needs in the months after release, are documented. Their residential locations are mapped in relation to selected neighbourhood characteristics. The survey results are based on interviews with 363 sentenced prisoners who have spent a minimum of five consecutive nights in custody and who are within days of scheduled release from one of four provincial correctional facilities in the Greater Toronto Area. [...]

Introduction...
Homelessness has become an entrenched problem in urban areas over the past several decades. Since the mid-1990s, senior governments have chosen to address homelessness among its citizens with ad hoc project funding rather than a comprehensive program to develop social housing as in the past. The presumed efficiencies in such an approach require adequate, reliable information to best target limited resources and to account for expenditures. Such information is frequently lacking.

The report addresses a particular knowledge gap; it explores the housing situation of men who are jailed in the Toronto area; their housing options and service needs on discharge, with a focus on homeless prisoners; and maps their residential locations to compare the level of services in the neighbourhoods or areas where they live. The intention is to point to where resources can be directed to minimize chronic or repeat homelessness within this population.

Source:
Seventeen Years Without a Housing Program
Emily Paradis, Research Manager, University of Toronto Cities Centre.
© THE MARK - themark.com (31.05.10; updated: 10 days)
Footnotes, more links, and emphasis added.

[...] By a momentous coincidence, spring 2010 is witness to the two most important legal initiatives to eliminate homelessness that Canada has seen since the 1980s when the homelessness crisis began.

The first, Bill C-304, an act to implement a national housing strategy, was adopted at committee on March 22, and may be voted on before Parliament breaks for the summer. Miraculously, the bill, first introduced by Vancouver East NDP MP Libby Davies, has received the support of the majority of Parliament. Though a Bloc Québécois amendment that would have allowed for an opt-out clause for Quebec was overruled, Quebec housing advocates are hopeful that Bloc MPs will continue to support the bill. They point out that any national housing strategy developed after passage of the bill would, of course, have to recognize Quebec's distinct status.

The second, a constitutional challenge on homelessness¹, was launched May 26 at Ontario Superior Court in Toronto. Brought with the assistance of housing advocates by a group of people who have been homeless, the challenge asks the court to recognize that homelessness is a violation of human rights. They argue that homelessness violates two sections of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Section 7, which guarantees the right to "life, liberty, and security of the person," and Section 15, which guarantees freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, disability, and other grounds. This will be a difficult argument to refute. A recent national study² by University of Toronto professor of medicine Stephen Hwang shows conclusively that the mortality rate among people who are homeless and precariously housed is significantly higher than that of people who are housed, even those with very low incomes. Research also confirms that across Canada, aboriginal people and people with physical and mental disabilities are vastly over-represented among those who become homeless.

The success of either, or both, of these initiatives would usher in a new era in Canada, in which federal and provincial governments would be compelled both to alter the policies that cause homelessness and to implement policies to prevent it. [...]

1. Government has human rights obligation to end homelessness argues historic Charter challenge
   Press Release, Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario. CNW, Toronto (26.05.10)

   [...] Expert witnesses will testify that homelessness and inadequate housing harm people through reduced life expectancy and significant damage to physical, mental and emotional health. In Canada, groups protected from discrimination by the Charter including women, single mothers, people with disabilities, Aboriginal people, racialized communities, youth and seniors are disproportionately affected by homelessness and poor housing.

2. Mortality among residents of shelters, rooming houses, and hotels in Canada:
   11 year follow-up study.
   Stephen W Hwang, Russell Wilkins, Michael Tjepkema, Patricia J O'Campo, James R Dunn.
   BMJ 2009;339:b4036 doi:10.1136/bmj.b4036

Source:
1,006 units to aid homeless in the works:
Province, city to combine with foundation on $225-million plan
Gerry Bellett, Vancouver Sun (26.05.10) Link added.

A computer rendering of the new sup- portive housing units to be built in Vancouver at 215 W. 2nd Avenue. Click image to view more. Credit: Vancouver Sun.

Premier Gordon Campbell has announced a $225-million program to build 1,006 new supportive housing units in Vancouver to deal with the city's chronic homelessness problem.

The province will provide $205 million for building the apartments on eight city-owned sites — worth $32 million — with the Streetohome Foundation providing $20 million. [...]

Six supportive housing projects are now under construction in Vancouver. The province is contributing $108 million to build 569 units on city-owned property worth $32 million. The first of those suites should be ready for occupation next year.

Construction on the eight sites would begin later this year subject to municipal approval, said the premier. [...]

Source:
Report: Three Million Canadians Have Feared or Experienced Homelessness
– Salvation Army study shows increase in demand for social services
The Salvation Army in Canada (03 May 2010)

"Our study found that the need to assist the poor and homeless is more important now than ever before," said Commissioner William W. Francis, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda "The public understands that there are numerous factors which lead to life on the streets, and the public believes that more can be done for the poor and homeless."

The new report, "Poverty shouldn't be a life sentence: a report on the perceptions of homelessness and poverty in Canada," surveyed a representative sample of Canadians to understand where perceptions exist and realities emerge on homelessness and poverty. The results indicate that the public has a heightened awareness of poverty and homelessness, but still, these two problems continue to grow. In 2009, The Salvation Army helped more than one million people by providing food, clothing and other practical assistance. Demand for these services increased by more than 25 percent in one year. Locally, The Salvation Army has seen increases in shelter bed occupancy and stay rates.

"The increase shows us just how much the economic recession has exacerbated long-existing problems in Canada," said Commissioner Francis. "The Salvation Army is leading the fight against homelessness and poverty as Canada's largest nongovernmental provider of social services."

The public believes that homelessness and poverty are two of the most pressing issues in Canada today. Nearly two-thirds of all respondents ranked poverty, homelessness and related issues as the most pressing social problems in Canada. [...]

Street homelessness cut in half according to latest research According to the newly released results from the 2009 Street Needs Assessment, an estimated 400 people were living on Toronto's streets in 2009, less than half of the 2006 estimate of 818. In total, an estimated 5,086 people were homeless on the night April 15, 2009, slightly up from the 2006 estimate of 5,052. While overall homelessness remained fairly stable, there was an increase in the number of youth and families staying in the City's emergency shelters. Most of the growth in family use of shelters is the result of far more refugees settling in Toronto with no access to appropriate housing. Family shelter use in Toronto is largely determined by geopolitical circumstances and federal immigration policy. Aboriginal people continue to be overrepresented in the homeless population, but fewer are sleeping outside. On average, those living outdoors remain homeless longest. [...] Framing and spin? As indicated at left, the methodology of this assessment is controversial. Point-in-time assessments may provide little more than a sampling of homeless numbers, rather than a meaningful estimate of the demographic. They are subject to a host of variables which make problematic the derivation of hard results. The framing of conclusions may become exercises in spin. From the report (pages 11-12), consider these "Limitations": [W]ith any survey of homeless individuals, a decision must be made about how to define homelessness for the purpose of the study. The Street Needs Assessment included those individuals who were absolutely homeless – those sleeping in public spaces, emergency shelters, Violence Against Women (VAW) shelters, hospitals, treatment facilities or correctional facilities – but did not include the ‘hidden' homeless. As well, this was a survey of homeless individuals in public spaces, or those who could be readily observed, for example those camped out in an ATM vestibule, and did not therefore include people on private property, such as those staying in garages, in cars on private lots, or hidden behind private businesses. As this was a point-in-time survey, individuals had the possibility to be surveyed if they were encountered by a study team outdoors at a particular point in time when the study team was surveying that area. However, if the homeless individual was moving throughout the area, or arrived in the study area after the study team had gone through, then they may not have been included in the survey. It is also important to note that point prevalence counts reflect the number of homeless at one specific point in time. From available shelter statistics, we know that the homeless population is not a static group and that many individuals may experience homelessness over the course of a year. While there may be 4,000 people staying in Toronto shelters on any given night, over the course of a year more than 27,000 different individuals will use the shelter system. The number generated by a point prevalence survey then, is a reflection of the number of homeless on a given night; there is a much larger proportion of the population who experience homelessness in any given year than the number at one point in time would indicate, as people move into and out of homelessness. [...] The point-in-time assessment is an insufficient predicate for evidence-based judgments as to the efficacy of initiatives to remediate homelessness. From those homeless who participate in the exercise, however, useful insight might be gained as to their use of and need for City services.

Source:
Controversial TO street needs assessment reports sharp drop in street homelessness
Michael Shapcott, Wellesley Institute (16.04.10)

Toronto's latest street needs assessment (released today) shows that the number of street homeless has dropped by half, while the number of sheltered homeless has risen. The methodology behind the count is controversial, as the Wellesley Institute has noted. There are plenty of more reliable studies of the real needs of people who are homeless or precariously housed. The latest assessment ignores the single biggest component of the homeless population - the hidden homeless (couch-surfers). Toronto's affordable housing waiting list is at an all-time high, and the number of people housed in March of 2010 is way down from last year. The Street Health Report, supported by the Wellesley Institute, provides a detailed review of the health status of people who are homeless.

Source:
Another hopeless homeless study
Sue-Ann Levy, City Hall Columnist, Toronto Sun (16.04.10)

One year pretty much to the day after it was taken, the city's $118,988 homeless street count reports that the number of street people has declined in the past three years by 51% from 818 to 400.

What the long-awaited 41-page results report does not say, however, is that it took at least $30 million in city funds and what has become a virtual army of 70 social workers — under Mayor David Miller's Streets to Homes initiative — to get those 400 hard core homeless folk off the city's heating grates and sidewalks. [...]

In addition to claims in the report that the number of homeless found outdoors dropped by half between April 2006 and April 2009, the latest street count found that the total number of homeless individuals in shelters and on the streets declined 1.7% from 4,467 in 2006 to 4,390 in 2009.

Phil Brown, general manager of shelter, support and housing contended that given the changing economic circumstances in Toronto, 1.7% is "pretty good."

He said the 51% decrease is "very encouraging" and "significant".

"We didn't have a target going into the (Streets to Homes) program ... but (it's) very encouraging," Brown said.

But when I suggested to him that spending $30 million to get 400 homeless off the streets is hardly what I'd call successful, Brown bristled at my numbers, calling them "a bogus piece of math."

He said the street count is simply a "point in time" estimate which is different from the annual numbers of people served. [...]

Source:
HRC Special Journal Issues: Future of Homeless Services

SAMHSA's Homelessness Resource Center (HRC) announces the release of a special issue of the Open Health Services and Policy Journal on "The Future of Homeless Services". Guest edited by the Homelessness Resource Center, the special issue describes the services and supports needed to help individuals and families exit homelessness and maintain housing. (3.10)

The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, ISSN: 1874-9240 - Volume 3, 2010.

• Editorial: The Struggle to End Homelessness in Canada:
  How we Created the Crisis, and How We Can End it
  Stephen Gaetz.
  The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 2010(3):21-26
• Homeless Services in the U.S.: Looking Back, Looking Forward:
  An Open Letter to Policymakers, Advocates, and Providers
  Martha Fleetwood.
  The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 2010(3):27-29
• The Future of Homeless Services: An Introduction
  Jeffrey Olivet, Kristen Paquette, Justine Hanson, Ellen Bassuk.
  The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 2010(3):30-33
• A Framework for Developing Supports and Services for Families Experiencing Homelessness
  Ellen L. Bassuk, Katherine T. Volk, Jeffrey Olivet.
  The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 2010(3):34-40
• A Paradigm Shift in Housing and Homeless Services: Applying the Population and High-Risk Framework to Preventing Homelessness
  Jocelyn Apicello.
  The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 2010(3):41-52
• Outreach and Engagement in Homeless Services: A Review of the Literature
  Jeffrey Olivet, Ellen Bassuk, Emily Elstad, Rachael Kenney, Lauren Jassil.
  The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 2010(3):53-70
• Recovery and Homeless Services: New Directions for the Field
  Laura Gillis, Gloria Dickerson, Justine Hanson.
  The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 2010(3):71-79
• Shelter from the Storm: Trauma-Informed Care in Homelessness Services Settings
  Elizabeth K. Hopper, Ellen L. Bassuk, Jeffrey Olivet.
  The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 2010(3):80-100
• Building the Capacity of the Homeless Service Workforce
  Joan Mullen, Walter Leginski.
  The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 2010(3):101-110

Source:
Foundation creates blueprint to help homeless youth leave Calgary streets:
'Plan within a plan' to end homelessness
Colette Derworiz, Calgary Herald (5 April 2010) Links added.

As the number of teens turning to shelters continues to grow, the Calgary Homeless Foundation is working on the country's first plan dedicated to ending youth homelessness.

The blueprint, which would become part of Calgary's overall 10-year plan to end homelessness, will focus on ways to help youths between the ages of 12 and 24.

"We recognize that there are some very specific needs and we want to respond to those needs with a bit more emphasis than our original plan to end homelessness," said Tim Richter, president of the Calgary Homeless Foundation, which oversees the local plan.

"It's a plan within a plan." Officials from the foundation will work with the United Way and local service agencies dealing with homeless youths to develop the plan over the coming months, he said.

Richter said it will be based on the foundation's draft discussion paper on youth homelessness in Calgary.

The paper, released in May 2009, called on the province's Children and Youth Services Department to develop a strategy to specifically address youth homelessness.

It was supposed to be considered as part of a provincial review into youth homelessness, which was due to issue a report on its findings last fall.

But the report has never been released publicly and no strategy has been developed.

Children and Youth Services Minister Yvonne Fritz said she has yet to see the final report from the provincial review, but she commended the Calgary Homeless Foundation's efforts to start addressing the issue in Calgary. [...] [Read More]

Source:
Ideology wins out over good sense
in 2010 federal budget
Libby Davies, Straight.com (5 March 2010)
Bill C-304 link added.

[...]
Who loses? Workers, pensioners, families, the homeless, and the environment.

The budget has no strategy for job creation for the 1.5 million Canadians looking for work. There are training dollars, but no new quality jobs to go to when the training is completed, and no extensions for EI to help people through the recession. Moreover, all workers and employers are going to be hit with a payroll tax on EI, to help pay for those corporate tax breaks.

Seniors lose with nothing to enhance pensions, which the NDP has been calling for. As little as $700 million to increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement would end poverty among seniors, but this budget has chosen profits for banks over meeting social needs.

Changes to the Universal Child Care Benefit will give single parents only $3.35 more per week, without creating a single daycare space. $10 million for action on missing and murdered women has been a long-time coming, but as Grand Chief Stewart Phillip noted, that money should be going to Native women's groups who have been at the front line of this issue for years.

What stood out most for me is that for two budgets in a row, there is no new investment in housing and homelessness. The Homelessness Partnering Strategy won't be renewed after 2011 and, as Michael Shapcott pointed out, although there are still stimulus dollars left, those who need it the most will see nothing.

Almost two million Canadians live in housing insecurity, with 200,000 homeless. The cost of housing in Vancouver has pushed housing affordability to crisis levels. I'm worried about the consequences of ignoring this issue and am pushing for my bill for a national housing strategy (Bill C-304) to pass through Parliament this spring. [...]

Source: Housing activists plan Olympic 'red tent' campaign
CBC News (25 January 2010)
Image Credit for video report: CBC News - click to watch.

Activists in Vancouver are threatening to hand out red tents to street people in the hope of attracting international attention to the problem of homelessness in the city during the Olympics and forcing the federal government to come up with a housing strategy. The Pivot Legal Society said Monday it was ready to distribute 500 of the bright red tents emblazoned with slogans like "Housing is a Right" and "End Homelessness Now!" The goal is to convince federal authorities to establish a national housing strategy [...]

Source: Pivot launches Red Tent campaign!
Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver (25.01.10)

Pivot Legal Society, the Citywide Housing Coalition and other partners announced the launch of their Olympic red tent campaign today, calling on the federal government to fund a national housing strategy to end homelessness and ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for all persons living in Canada.

Source: RedTents.org
Red Tent Campaign website. Emphasis added.

Red Tent is national campaign that invites the participation of all persons and organizations wishing to end homelessness in Canada.

Our goal is to persuade the federal government to enact a funded National Housing Strategy that will end homelessness and ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for all persons living in Canada.

Our strategy is to use red tents and like items as symbols on the streets and in the media to draw attention to Canada's homelessness crisis, educate the public about the need for a funded national housing strategy and mobilize people across the country to pressure government to take action on homelessness. [...]

Pivot Legal Society today [25 January 2010] sent a letter to City Council urging Councillors to set guidelines around the enforcement of City bylaws that might displace homeless people during the Olympic, in light of the recent BC Court of Appeal decision in Victoria (City) v. Adams.

• And see on this site:
• Red tents in Paris

  In December 2006, The French anti-poverty organization Children of Don Quixote, began using Red tents as a symbol to draw attention to the plight of the homeless in Paris. The organization launched the campaign to coincide with a French national election. The tents were used as a visual reminder that there were over 100,000 people who were homeless in France and that shelter did not have adequate space available for all those in need and that shelters are not a substitute for long-term housing.

  In the months leading up to the protest, Children of Don Quixote founder Augustin Legrand spent time seeking out and interviewing those who were living outdoors without proper shelter.  The stories he collected were posted to The Children of Don Quixote website and people who read them or watched videos of interviews were encouraged to join the protest. Many Parisians did. Over 200 red tents lined the Canal Saint Martin for three months and during this time many other cities in France saw similar protests take place.

  The campaign gained widespread public support and homelessness became an election issue that political leaders were forced to address. [...]

Why this? why now?...

• What's Driving Olympics Homeless Protesters
  Monte Paulsen, Geoff Dembicki, TheTyee.ca (16.02.10)

  As housing prices soared, social housing went unbuilt for years. As a result, shelter is hot politics in Vancouver.

  [...] The growth of homelessness in B.C. has been driven by a variety of factors.

  Gentrification has been a leading cause. In Vancouver, for example, hundreds of residential hotel rooms have been lost to redevelopment. The low-end accommodations that remain have doubled in price, and now cost much more than the province pays welfare recipients. As a result, many of B.C.'s most vulnerable -- those suffering from mental illness, addiction or other disabilities -- have been driven into the streets.

  Cities in the United Kingdom and the United States have successfully reduced homelessness through a "housing first" approach, where homeless individuals are moved from the streets into low-barrier supportive housing. The advantages of this proven approach are two-fold: First, people who live indoors seek treatment sooner and achieve better long-term outcomes than those who shuffle in and bounce out of inpatient treatment centres; second, people who live indoors use far less police, ambulance and health services than the homeless do, meaning that it costs taxpayers less to house them than to keep them homeless.

  But unlike federal governments in the U.K., U.S. and Europe, the Canadian federal government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper has steadfastly refused to fund housing first solutions, in much the same way it has repeatedly tried to shut down Vancouver's safe-injection site. [...] [Read More]

• "We can end homelessness, and we can end it now:"
  Two Vancouver actions call for a national housing strategy
  Mara Kardas-Nelson, rabble.ca blog (20.02.10)

  [...] Organizers from both actions [the Impact on Communities Coalition (IOCC) "Right to the City: Rally for a national housing program" and the Pivot Legal Society "Red Tent" campaign] claim that a comprehensive national housing strategy is necessary to combat homelessness within Canada. Currently, the country is the only member of the G8 that does not have such a strategy, leaving jurisdiction to individual provinces and cities. Without national coordination, advocates claim, there is little accountability and even less coherence, with housing policies shifting year-to-year, vulnerable to changing budgets and political maneuvering, and variable by location.

  This has not always been the case, however. Prior to 1993, Canada was considered to have one of the best housing policies in the world, with approximately 800 new social housing units built in Vancouver annually. But massive budget cuts at the national, provincial, and city level has resulted in the UN calling the country's homelessness situation "a crisis."

  Critics point to the Winter Olympics as demonstrative of skewed spending and misplaced priorities. "We want to see the social, the economic, priority of homelessness and housing," said rally speaker Libby Davies, NDP Member of Parliament for Vancouver East. Advocates claim that instituting more social housing is actually cost effective: a 2007 study by the government of British Columbia showed that $55,000 was spent on a non-housed person annually, compared with $37,000 for each person with a roof over their head.

  Pivot's red tents are meant to create more awareness about the issue. Says Reilly Yeo, Social Media coordinator for the campaign, "most Canadians are not aware of how desperate the housing situation is." Davies added at today's rally, "we want to say to [Olympic] visitors...please notice what is going on, the reality...Speak out and be one with us in solidarity to say homelessness should not exist in a wealthy country like Canada." [...]

Source: Suburbia's hidden homeless
Michele Mandel, Toronto Sun (10 January 2010) Links added.

905 affluence masks a sub-culture of life on the streets

[...] In York, one of the most prosperous regions in the province, there's nowhere to live if you are poor. When couch surfing isn't available and shelters seem too dangerous, the homeless are sleeping in ravines, in houses under construction, in used clothing boxes and on top of strip malls, says Tanya Shute, executive director of the Krasman Centre, the region's only adult drop-in for those struggling with homelessness or mental health issues.

"It's not as visible here as it is in Toronto but I hazard to guess that what you see is only the tip of the iceberg," she says.

But many of those living in the 905 refuse to open their eyes. "We have much more of a bubble mentality, with SUVs and ideas of privilege, in the suburbs," Shute contends.

York region has the lowest proportion of rental housing in the GTA and some of the highest rents. There are 6,000 households on their list for affordable housing -- up 1,000 from last year -- and the wait for singles is more than 20 years long.

For those who become homeless, York has four emergency hostels which housed 2,055 people in 2007. But the region's nine municipalities have no shelter for single homeless women. "That's how blind we are," marvels Shute.

In Durham, 1,407 people sought emergency shelter in 2008, including 181 children. More than 4,000 households are on their affordable housing list with singles waiting the longest for the few available units, says Mary Menzies, the region's director of housing services.

"Single people are using a lot of our shelters," she says, "because we don't have a housing supply to meet their needs. Most of the rental one-bedrooms are not affordable, especially for anybody on EI (unemployment) or working minimum-wage jobs."

The good news, she says, is that fewer families are becoming homeless because they're using provincial programs such as Rent Bank and Emergency Energy Fund assistance to help pay off rent or utilities arrears.

In downtown Oshawa, though, the need has never been greater. Marten Van Harmelen's Gate 3:16 outreach centre on Simcoe St. has been serving the homeless for 20 years and now helps up to 100 people a day. "We started off small and over the years we have grown tremendously," says Van Harmelen, also a member of Durham's advisory committee on the homeless. [...]

Source: Changing Patterns for Street Involved Youth
Public Interest, 340 Harbord Street, Toronto
(Released 15 December 2009)

Half of Street Youth Driven Into Homelessness
Prevention, early intervention critical

TORONTO – Almost half of Toronto's street youth don't want to be homeless – getting help for them early would make a big difference, says a groundbreaking study of Toronto street-involved youth.

Changing Patterns for Street Involved Youth, released jointly by Yonge Street Mission, World Vision Canada and Public Interest, reflects interviews with 208 youth who came from all over Canada and found themselves homeless in Toronto.

"Many youth tell us they just want a home – they're highly motivated but they need help getting there," says Karen Bach of the Yonge Street Mission. "The more we can intervene to help youth back into housing the less likely they will be to stay on the streets for years at a time."

Among the study's most striking findings:

• Almost one in five youth have been on the street for less than three months and this period is the most effective time to help them return to housing.
• Youth who stay on the street for two years are less likely to leave – making an intervention within the first two years key to resolving the problem.
• Most youth who stay on the streets for as long as eight years end up trapped because it's all they know and it becomes part of their identity.
• Immigrant street youth transition back into housing more rapidly.
• Sweet 16 isn't so sweet for some: More youth (21%) end up on the street at 16 than at any other age, possibly because that's the age it becomes legal.
• One in four youth leave home before the legal age.
  The younger they are, the more likely their stay on the street will last longer – seven years or more.
• Almost a third of the street youth interviewed came from other provinces; 14.6% came from other part[s] of Ontario; only 22.7% were from the GTA.
• Over 40% of street youth experience mental health issues but few are able to access mental health services.

Source: Quebec unveils $14M plan for homeless
Jan Ravensbergen, The Gazette (14 December 2009)

And See: Itinérance: agissons ensemble
Rapport de la Commission de la santé et des services sociaux sur l'itinérance au Québec,
Assemblée nationale du Québec, Parliamentary Proceedings (November 2009)

MONTREAL – The Quebec government Monday announced $14 million of what Lise Thériault, minister delegated to social services, called "fresh money" over the next three years to assist the estimated 30,000 or more street people across the province.

It was the government's first response to a sweeping series of recommendations unveiled Nov. 4 by a multi-party Quebec parliamentary commission on homelessness.

Thériault said the Société d'habitation du Québec will also reserve 300 housing units for the homeless – or those at risk of losing the existing roofs over their heads – as part of a new social-housing plan which remains under development.

The allocation of that number of such small units carries a price tag of $60.5 million, she said.

She said another 150 similar units are also planned, for construction over the same timespan.

However, when asked for details, Thériault responded that their location across the province and various other elements have yet to be finalized.

A comprehensive and detailed survey to pin down the number of street people in Quebec will take two years to complete, and should be ready by the fall of 2011, department officials said.

The last such survey covered only Montreal and Quebec City – and dates back to 1998.

"Nobody can remain insensitive to the phenomenon of homelessness," Thériault told reporters at a news conference. [...]

Risks and Assets for Homelessness Prevention: A Literature Review for The Calgary Homeless Foundation

Source: Predicting Homelessness
News & Events, University of Calgary (11.12.09) Link Added.

What causes homelessness? Can we predict who will be vulnerable?

A team of experts from the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work has developed a unique screening tool to determine the likelihood of homelessness for vulnerable populations. The research was funded by the Calgary Homeless Foundation.

As the first-ever screening tool to examine pre-homelessness, the Homeless Asset and Risk Tool (HART) will be unveiled today at a public symposium.

Currently awaiting funding confirmation from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, HART will be piloted in this city in 2010. Researchers from the Faculty of Social Work will follow 750 individuals in Calgary over the course of the year to predict which of them are most
at-risk of homelessness. [...]

• Homeless Asset and Risk Tool (HART)...
• Risks and Assets for Homelessness Prevention:
  A Literature Review for The Calgary Homeless Foundation [HART Tool]
  Tutty LM, Bradshaw C, Waegemakers Schiff J, Worthington C, MacLaurin B, Hewson J,
  Dooley D, Kean S, McLeod H. University of Calgary (11.12.09)
   Executive Summary
• Survey to pinpoint people at risk of losing homes — CBC News (11.12.09)

  Calgary researchers have developed a short list of questions that could identify people at risk before they lose their homes.

  Touted as a "first-ever screening tool," the Homeless Asset and Risk Tool (HART) asks 20 questions such as:

  • Have you had trouble paying for housing based on your income?
  • Have you had trouble with landlords?
  • Have family members shown concern for your mental health?
  • Do you have substance abuse issues?

  "The ultimate goal is to provide them resources, services, to prevent them form going down that road to homelessness, which is a pretty bitter trail," said Leslie Tutty, a social work professor at the University of Calgary, on Friday. [...]

• Researchers develop checklist to help predict homelessness
  Valerie Berenyi, Calgary Herald (12.12.09)

Source: Victoria loses appeal of right-to-shelter case
Andrew MacLeod, The Tyee (9 December 2009)
For background and previous stories on this issue, see below.

The City of Victoria has lost its appeal of a 2008 court ruling that struck down the city's anti-camping bylaws while the number of people who are homeless exceeds the number of available shelter beds.

"The court has made it clear they are going to take the rights of homeless people, the most marginalized people in the city, seriously," said Catherine Boies Parker, a lawyer who along with Irene Faulkner represented a group of people who were forced out of a tent city set up in a city park in 2005.

"We hope now the city will sit down with everyone and try to come up with a reasonable accommodation," she said, noting that it's rare for cases involving the rights of people who are homeless or living in poverty to be heard in court.

A message to a city spokesperson was not returned by publication time.

Madam Justice Risa Levine, Madam Justice Kathryn Neilson and Justice Harvey Groberman ruled that Madam Justice Carol Ross who heard the original case in the Supreme Court of B.C. was correct in her ruling and did not intrude improperly on the policy decisions of elected officials.

"We agree with the trial judge that prohibiting the homeless from taking simple measures to protect themselves through the creation or utilization of rudimentary forms of overhead protection, in circumstances where there is no practicable shelter alternative, is a significant interference with their dignity and independence," the appeal court justices wrote.

Boies Parker said the ruling will make it harder for governments to pass similar laws in the future without taking the dignity of the people they affect into consideration.

The appeal judges also ruled that the city would have to pay the costs Boies Parker and Faulkner incurred to fight the appeal. This is on top of the $200,000 the court required the city to pay for them to fight the original case, plus the city's own costs.

Since the original ruling the city has adjusted its bylaws to allow overnight camping but requires tents to be removed during the daytime. The appeal is silent on the constitutionality of the new bylaws, but Boies Parker said she expects they will also be struck down if and when they are tested in court.

Source:
In From the Margins:
A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness
The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology.
Report of the Subcommittee on Cities.
(December 2009:pp12-14)

[...]
Housing and homelessness
The Committee's study of housing and homelessness focussed on these as separate policy areas, as many federal programs in particular separate the two. During our research, hearings and site visits, the Committee learned of important and exciting initiatives at the local and provincial levels, and how local and provincial governments, as well as private-sector and voluntary-sector developers, are sometimes constrained by regulations, time-frames, and declining operating support from the federal government.

As well, it has become clear to the Committee that a more integrated consideration of both housing and homelessness offers a better chance of implementing a "housing first" approach. With this approach, individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness are stabilized with affordable housing, offering a base from which any other complicating factors in their lives can be addressed.

Further, the Committee is aware that unaffordable and inadequate housing, even for those who are currently able to meet their needs and aspirations, can contribute to poverty, and to a spiral that can include losing jobs, dropping out of school, and being unable to sustain families.

Not all solutions address both the needs of those who are currently homeless and the importance of a housing "system" that supplies affordable and adequate housing to those who are currently housed.

With respect to housing, the Committee recommends that the federal government:

• provide sustained and adequate funding through the Affordable Housing Initiative to increase the supply of affordable housing [Recommendation 37];
• issue a White paper on tax measures to support construction of rental housing in general and affordable rental housing in particular, including for the donation of funds, lands or buildings for low-income housing provision [Recommendation 38];
• clarify the mandate of Canada Lands Corporation to favour use of surplus federal lands for development of affordable housing and to expedite planning processes to facilitate this use [Recommendation 39];
• support the work of local and provincial non-profit housing developers by making housing programs longer term to accommodate five-year development cycles and ten-year planning cycles, and to permit more effective planning at the local and provincial levels [Recommendation 40];
• identify civil legal aid as an element to be supported by the Canada Social Transfer to assist tenants facing discrimination in housing [Recommendation 41];
• extend the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program as a permanent program, increase the budget allocations for this program, and amend eligibility requirements to take into account differential costs for repairs in different communities across Canada, and projects converting housing units for affordable rental accommodation [Recommendation 42]; and
• work with provincial housing authorities, private landlords' associations and non-profit housing providers, to assess impact of housing subsidies provided to individuals rather than landlords on rents [Recommendation 43].

With respect to homelessness, the Committee has heard of the effectiveness of the Homelessness Partnering Strategies and its predecessor programs in supporting communities to reduce homelessness and to move people from the streets into housing. The Committee recommends that the federal government:

• expand the Homelessness Partnering Strategy to play a greater coordinating role within the federal government, engaging all departments and agencies with a mandate that includes housing and homelessness, especially for those groups over-represented among those in need [Recommendation 47];
• provide financial incentives to encourage communities already supported through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy to use a 10-year time horizon in adjusting and renewing their community plans [Recommendation 48]; and
• continue to provide direct funding for and continued support of related research and knowledge dissemination about a "housing first" approach to eliminating homelessness [Recommendation 49].

With respect to an integrated approach to housing and homelessness, the Committee recommends that the federal government:

• in collaboration with provincial governments, representatives of municipal governments, First Nation organizations, and other housing providers, develop a national housing and homelessness strategy to include:
  • priorities established by and for each provincial and territory with respect to meeting existing needs for affordable and secure housing;
  • a 10-year commitment of funds from the federal government, to include similar commitments from provincial and territorial governments that will receive these funds;
  • annual reporting on how the money is being spent, with particular attention to the number of people housed who could not afford to secure housing in the private market;
  • a specific focus, with targets and funding commitments, with respect to meeting the needs for affordable housing for urban Aboriginal peoples;
  • a simpler, more integrated application process for funds, cutting across programs related to housing funded at the federal level;
  • the integration of the Homelessness Partnering Initiative, with an expanded mandate and budget to support combined local housing and homelessness plans and the initiatives identified in them;
  • a thorough evaluation at the end of the 10-year period to assess achievements and continuing gaps [Recommendation 44]; and
  • sustain federal funding focussed on homelessness until a combined strategy on housing and homelessness is developed to guide federal investment [Recommendation 45].

[...]

Source:
Rehousing Triage and Assessment Survey Toolkit
Calgary Homeless Foundation (Accessed 7 December 2009)

Rehousing Triage and Assessment Survey:
A Step in Ending Homelessness
This housing action toolkit received funding from the Homelessness Partnering Secretariat, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). It was developed by the Calgary Homeless Foundation to help agencies and community groups take action in ending homelessness in their communities.

29 October 2009

This toolkit will show you how to use the Rehousing Triage and Assessment Survey (RTAS). The RTAS is a survey that can be used to assess the health and vulnerability of homeless people in your community. It will help you to prioritize and match resources with client needs, by making sure that the supports and housing available in your communities are being accessed by those who need them the most.

Ending homelessness in your community has many benefits, and community initiatives to end homelessness can be very successful when innovative and research based tools are used to help you.

This toolkit is user friendly, adaptable to many settings and contexts and has been developed using research and best practices to ensure its value as an action tool for ending homelessness. The information in this toolkit can be used by community based service providers, government departments, funders, researchers or any organization interested in ending homelessness.

Source:
Homelessness in Canada: A Funder's Primer in Understanding the Tragedy on Canada's Streets
Bri Trypuc and Jeffrey Robinson. Charity Intelligence Canada
(October 2009; accessed 7 December 2009)

Homelessness can happen to anyone. The biggest trigger is people losing jobs leaving them unable to buy food and pay rent. 300,000 of Canada's working poor live pay cheque to pay cheque.

Ci's Homeless in Canada report shows that quick response to homelessness with safe housing reduces the costs we all bear.

Did you know?

Full Report  Executive Summary

• 157,000 are estimated to be homeless in Canada in 2008.
• Of the 32,000 chronically homeless who have lived on the streets for more than one year, the average life expectancy is 39 years.
• Canadian tax payers spend at least $1.3 billion providing services to the homeless.
• Solutions exist that are more effective and cheaper; a new innovative "housing first" approach has an 88% success rate in housing the chronically homeless and costs 17% less than current programs.

Donors can make a difference by supporting charities working with the homeless:

• Food banks are the first-line of defence stopping those in crisis from becoming homeless.
• Shelters for the homeless which provide access to basic necessities, medical services and crisis intervention.
• Charities that provide housing, emphasizing dignity, community and recovery opportunities, have top results in intervening with our chronically homeless.

Source:
Mental Health Commission of Canada Launches National Research Project to Find Sustainable Solutions for People With Mental Health Issues Who Are Homeless
Mental Health Commission of Canada (23 November 2009)
For more on this, see below, and visit At Home.

Study will investigate 'Housing First' approach
TORONTO, November 23, 2009 – The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has implemented a ground‐breaking national research project in five cities to find the best way to provide housing and services to people who are living with mental illness and homelessness. Using a 'Housing First' approach, the research project focuses on first providing people who are homeless with a place to live, and then the other assistance and services they require. The goal is to see if this approach is better than traditional 'care as usual.'

A total of 2,285 people who are homeless and living with a mental illness will participate in the study. Of these, 1,325 participants in the research project will be given a place to live and offered a range of housing, health and social support services over the course of the research initiative. These supports include help with maintaining a home, undertaking routine tasks like shopping or getting to a doctor's appointment or securing opportunities for education, volunteering and employment. The rest of the participants will receive the services that are currently available in the five test sites. Both groups will be compared to see which approach works best.

"The study will produce evidence on whether providing a place, plus services, will better support reintegration into functional, meaningful living," said Dr. Jayne Barker, Director, At Home/Chez Soi Project. "Another research question is cost. Will it cost less to house and provide services than it would if these marginalized individuals were in hospitals, prisons and shelters?" said Dr. Paula Goering, Research Lead, At Home/Chez Soi Project.

The At Home/ Chez Soi project is the largest of its kind in Canada. The research will help make Canada a world leader in providing better services to people living with homelessness and mental illness. Each test site will focus on a specific target population within the overall study group. [...]

• It "feels like you're constantly about to die"
  Laura Stone, Canwest News Service (22.11.09)
• Street people will get a home
  Larry Kusch, Winnipeg Free Press (21.11.09)
• Major homelessness initiative will be launched next week
  Jim Day, The Guardian (19.11.09)
• Psychologist has personal stake in Vancouver homeless project
  Barry Shell, SFU (19.11.09)

Source:
The Judiciarization of the Homeless in Montréal: A Case of Social Profiling
Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (10.11.09)
News Release | Executive summary of the opinion of the Commission
Recommendations of the Commission

• Fact Sheets
• Fact sheet 1: Social profiling - Definition
• Fact sheet 2: Disproportionate use of authority - Definition
• Fact sheet 3: Infringement of rights - Definition
• Fact sheet 4: Overview of the over-judiciarization of the homeless in Montréal - Statistics
• Fact sheet 5: Analysis of the municipal by-laws applicable on the territory of Montréal
• Documents
• News release
• The opinion of the Commission [In French only]
• Executive summary of the opinion of the Commission
• Recommendations of the Commission (6.11.09)
  
  

  The Judiciarization of the Homeless in Montréal: A Case of Social Profiling RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION THAT the institutional standards and policies of the SPVM to combat uncivil behaviour be amended to remove any element that targets and stigmatizes the homeless. THAT the use of repressive methods by the SPVM against the homeless be based, not on a perception that their presence might be disturbing or threatening, but on neutral behavioural criteria applicable to all citizens, such as the degree of nuisance or danger created by the behaviour. THAT training on the social causes of homelessness and the risk of being profiled facing the homeless be provided for police officers employed by the City of Montréal. THAT each municipality and borough, as well as the provincial government, review all the regulatory and legislative provisions that punish behaviour in public spaces to ensure that they identify a specific nuisance and that the provision is justified. In addition, the Commission recommends that the enforcement of by-laws that are not consistent with the Charter be suspended until amended or repealed by the relevant authority. THAT the by-law enacted by the Ville-Marie borough to close the last remaining 15 parks that were still open at night be repealed. THAT the provision of the By-law concerning dog and animal control introduced by the Ville-Marie borough to specifically ban dogs from Émilie–Gamelin park and Viger square be repealed. THAT the Code of Penal Procedure be amended to eliminate the discriminatory impact, especially on the homeless, of the current provisions imposing a prison sentence for unpaid fines. THAT the State strengthens the economic and social rights set out in the Charter at the earliest opportunity to protect the rights of the most vulnerable people in society, and in particular the rights of the homeless. THAT a policy on homelessness be introduced to ensure that the State, its representatives and its service providers formally launch a joint and planned action to allocate targeted resources with priority given to the homeless. THAT as part of the policy on homelessness, the government: Implements concrete measures to improve coordination between the stakeholders dealing with the homeless, thereby ensuring continuity of services and a better harmonization of the various categories of intervention; Strengthens and enhances existing measures to reach the homeless with mental health or addiction problems wherever they are, to ensure that they benefit from appropriate support and medical supervision from the health and social services network; Strengthens and increase the resources allocated to allow the homeless to benefit from personalized, long-term therapeutic supervision; Strengthens existing measures and programs supporting the social reintegration of young people leaving youth centres, especially when enrolled in education or seeking employment; Strengthens and enhances measures and programs to support the homeless or individuals at risk of homelessness when enrolled in educational or vocational integration programs; Uses the Market Basket Measure (MBM) to set the level of financial support for poor individuals provided by social assistance and social solidarity programs. THAT the State give priority to a preventive and proactive approach to homelessness, in particular by providing sufficient and adequate housing for the homeless or individuals at risk of homelessness, if they so desire. THAT the government increase and make recurrent the funding provided for new social housing projects through the various programs administered by the Société d'habitation du Québec; THAT the government increase the budget of $5 million allocated to the Cadre de référence sur le soutien communautaire en logement social to match the dollar estimates made by its partners in the social and community housing sector. THAT the government provide stable and recurrent funding for the Cadre de référence sur le soutien communautaire en logement social, adjusted annually to reflect the actual needs of the public and private organizations offering community support for social housing.

Source:
Youth Homelessness in Canada : The Road to Solutions
A document that outlines solutions to youth homelessness, based on three years of research and consultation with stakeholders across Canada.
Raising the Roof (November 2009)

Media Advisory - "There are solutions" to youth homelessness concludes Raising the Roof report; Sir Richard Branson calls on Canadians to support Toque Campaign. CNW Group (12.11.09)

p.9
[...] The recommendations below are discussed and supported throughout this paper. They focus on three key aspects of an effective response to youth homelessness: prevention, emergency response, and transitions out of homelessness. They are based on the premise that youth-serving agencies and their communitybased partners in government, private and non-profit sectors know what works best in their communities across the country; and that stability and long-term employment are proven positive factors in helping young people move away from the street.

Recommendations

1. Existing funding: Secure, long-term and flexible funding to enable successful programs for streetinvolved youth to continue to develop and grow;
2. Access to services: 'One-stop' barrier-free access to services for street-involved youth within their home community;
3. Education: More educational opportunities/grant programs for street-involved youth and increased programs that target early school leavers;
4. Employment: Increased job training and employment opportunities for street-involved youth, in particular graduates of agency programs;
5. Housing: A national housing strategy that includes a continuum of housing specifically for streetinvolved youth, e.g., youth shelters, transitional housing, co-op housing, safe and affordable housing, as well as supportive housing for youth leaving child protection, foster care and group homes;
6. Mentorship: Increased mentorship support aimed at street-involved youth to build self-esteem and develop life skills;
7. Government leadership: Leadership and collaboration among federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments in developing a Canada-wide plan to address youth homelessness;
8. Private sector engagement: Development of a supportive framework to encourage the private sector to participate in creative solutions to youth homelessness e.g., skills training, employment opportunities, development of supportive work environment;
9. Government policy: Development of distinct policies around youth homelessness to address the unique needs of this population.

This document further outlines many of the elements that would comprise a plan to address youth homelessness, with a suggested Community Checklist tool (page 30) that will help communities to assess local needs and priorities within a national framework.

Source:
Homelessness costs BC taxpayers up to $1 billion a year
Monte Paulsen, The Tyee (16 October 2009)

BC's Homeless Action Week ends this weekend. Unfortunately, homelessness itself will not. Here's a quick review of the facts that British Columbians live with every day.

10,000-15,000 homeless in BC
No province-wide homeless count has ever been conducted. So researchers have cobbled together province-wide estimates. In late 2007, a researcher working for the New Democratic Party solicited numbers from every homeless shelter in the province, then compiled those figures to reach a province-wide total of 10,000 homeless. In early 2008, team of independent academic researchers working with the Centre For Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction (CARMHA) at Simon Fraser University released a study pegging the province-wide total at 15,000 homeless. Anecdotal interviews with shelter operators and outreach workers suggest that B.C.'s homeless population grew larger between 2007 and 2009.

To put those figures in context, consider this: If there are 10,000 homeless in B.C., that's more homeless than the total population of Whistler. Or, put another way, that's two homeless British Columbians for every athlete participating in the 2010 Winter Games.

$1 billion a year in taxes
Homeless individuals tend to be heavy users of police, ambulance, hospital and other emergency services. The Vancouver Police Department estimated that as many as a third of all its emergency calls are related to untreated mental illness and/or addiction, much of which is rooted within that city's large homeless and under-housed population.

The aforementioned SFU study found that it costs at least $55,000 a year to service a homeless person on the streets. A more comprehensive estimate conducted for the Calgary Homeless Foundation concluded that the total cost was $135,000 per person, per year.

(The cost of a unit of supportive housing, by comparison, is about $37,000 a year.)

To put those figures in context, consider this: If there are 10,000 homeless people in British Columbia, and if each costs taxpayers a median of $100,000 a year, then British Columbia taxpayers are spending a billion dollars a year to maintain street homelessness. Put another way, for the past few years, B.C. taxpayers have probably spent more money servicing the homeless than they spent preparing for the Olympics -- even after the Sea-to-Sky Highway, the Canada Line and the new Vancouver Convention Centre are considered.

Death every 12 days
A homeless person dies every 12 days in B.C., according to the BC Coroners Service.

The coroners service counted an average of 32 homeless deaths a year from 2006 through 2008. The average age at death was 45 year. The five leading causes of death among the homeless were: Natural disease, drug poisoning, blunt injuries, hanging, and drowning.

For the purpose of these statistics, an individual was considered homeless if they were known to be living 'rough' or on the street, staying at an emergency shelter, or being provided temporary (30 days or less) shelter by friends or family. Individuals in long-term shelters, residential drug or alcohol treatment facilities, or those staying with friends or family on a long-term or indefinite basis, were excluded.

Source:
Mental Health and Homelessness
Mental Health Commission of Canada
See also: Federal program aims to get mentally ill off streets
CBC News (25 August 2009)

The Mental Health Commission of Canada is now implementing research demonstration projects in mental health and homelessness across the country.

The projects are being implemented in five different cities. They will look at the Housing First model of intervention. A total of 2225 homeless people living with a mental illness will participate. 1,325 Canadians from that group will be given a place to live, and will be offered services to assist them over the course of the initiative. The remaining participants will receive the regular services that are available in the test sites.

Participants will have to pay a portion of their rent, and be visited at least once a week by program staff. Participants will be able to choose housing within a number of different sites in a given city, including apartments and group homes.

Why Housing First?
The Housing First model is one approach to ending homelessness and helping people with lived experience get back into community life. This approach has produced positive results in other cities where it has been implemented. A comparison between different Housing First approaches and "care as usual" is being studied in all cities.

The overall goal is to provide evidence about what services and systems could best help people across Canada who are living with a mental illness and are also homeless. At the same time, the project will provide meaningful and practical support for hundreds of vulnerable Canadians.

Data from this kind of extensive research does not currently exist in Canada. The MHCC project is unique and the largest of its kind underway in the world right now.

What is the focus?
Although the primary focus of the projects is mentally ill people who are homeless, each of the sites will also have specific targets. [...]

(Please click on a city name to learn more about each site)

1. Moncton: one of Canada's fastest growing cities, with a shortage of services for Anglophones and Francophones.
2. Montreal: different mental health services provided to homeless people in Quebec.
3. Toronto: ethno-cultural diversity including new immigrants who are non-English speaking.
4. Vancouver: people who struggle with substance abuse and addictions.
5. Winnipeg: urban Aboriginal population.

The research projects will end in 2013, and will collectively develop a body of evidence to help Canada become a world leader in providing services to homeless people living with a mental illness.

Who is involved?
The project is being overseen by Dr. Jayne Barker, MHCC Director of Policy and Research. The research lead is Dr. Paula Goering, head of the Health Systems Research and Consulting Unit at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.

The Commission is working closely with provincial and municipal levels of government, researchers, many local service providers (people who will provide counselling, check-ups, etc.) and individuals who have experienced homelessness and mental illness. [...]

Source:
Homeless youth numbers in Alberta spark review
CBC News (23 July 2009)

A panel will review the child welfare system after recent homeless counts showed a growing number of young people among those with no roof over their head, Children's Services Minister Janis Tarchuk said on Wednesday.

Homeless counts last fall in communities across Alberta uncovered the trend, said Tarchuk, who stressed that the bottom line is not to give up on any children.

"They are living on the streets, or couch surfing with friends, or accessing our youth shelters ... that trend is very very concerning," Tarchuk said.

The committee will determine how many spots are available for children who are wards of the province, and how many more are needed, she said.

The minister of housing will also be involved in helping to collaborate a response to this issue, Tarchuk said.

There is a gap between the number of wards of the province needing shelter and the number of spaces available for them, youth court worker Mark Cherrington said.

"I'm dealing with young people that are living in big drain culverts because there is no placements, and children's services are not willing, or not able to provide those resources," Cherrington said.

CBC News obtained numbers from the Edmonton region of children's services which show that two years ago there was a shortfall of more than 700 beds, and now that shortfall is over 800.

That means, the provincial government doesn't have a bed for one out of every four children in government care, in Edmonton. [...] [Read More]

Source: Homeless Count 2008 - Major Findings Homeward Trust Edmonton, regarding A Count of Homeless Persons in Edmonton 2008 As in the 2006 Count of Homeless Persons there is an increase in the number of homeless people in Edmonton. A total of 3079 people were counted in 2008. This reflects an increase of 18% or 461 people in the total number of homeless counted. The number of absolute homeless increased by almost 5% or 88 to 1862 and the number of sheltered homeless increased by approximately 44% or 373 to 1217; In terms of gender, 2124 or (69%) of homeless individuals were observed to be male and 23%, or 702 were female. Of the remaining 253 or 8%, 245 were children and caregivers in families whose gender was not observed. The relative proportion of the number of men to women is higher than the 2006 count results; in total, there was an increase of 304 males and 94 females; The Count recorded a significant decrease in the number of turnaways in 2008. Only 52 people were turned away as compared to 256 in 2006. In addition, the number discharged with no home to return to dropped to 72 from the previous count of 113. Turnaways are not included in the homeless tally. There were no turnaways from housing providers; There was a significant increase in the number of families enumerated in 2008 as compared to 2006 (133 compared to 79). This represents an 87% increase (34) in the number of Absolute Homeless Families; a 50% increase (20) in the number of Sheltered Homeless Families. This can be attributed to a number of factors including improvements in the survey forms, which clarified the definition of dependants, caregivers, and their housing status, as well as an increase in the number of spaces available for women and children i.e. La Salle and Wings of Providence; There are 125 children living on the street; There was an increase in the number of shelter spaces available from 2006, of those available spaces, a large number are reserved for women and children, this is reflected in the increase in the number of homeless families; The vast majority of the 3079 total homeless figure is single aboriginal men between the ages of 31-54; The numbers reflect an increase in the number of children, and seniors over 65 yrs of age living on the street.

Source:
Higher percentage of homeless in Yellowknife: report,
CBC News (29.06.09)

Yellowknife is dealing with a much higher percentage of homeless people than other capital cities in Canada, according to a new report by the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition.

The coalition's 2008 report card on homelessness found that five per cent of the city's overall population, or 936 individuals, stayed in an emergency shelter at some point last year.

In most Canadian cities, that figure is around one per cent, said Lyda Fuller of the homelessness coalition.

"For example, in southern Canada, you have services to homeless people in outlying areas around the major centres," Fuller told CBC News in an interview Monday.

"Here, people tend to come into Yellowknife, because we do have most of the services, and so you see a collection of homelessness within the city."

The report also found that men are at a higher risk to become homeless, usually because the priority for housing is for women with children. [...] [Read More]

 Click the image to downlaod the PDF from the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition (Spring 2009).

Source:
Salvation Army Releases Nationwide Study on Homelessness,
Press Release, The Salvation Army in Canada (21.05.09)

Toronto, ON May 5, 2009 – The Salvation Army has released a report with findings from a national study on homelessness in Canada. The report – "Poverty Shouldn't be a Life Sentence" - is based on information from surveys of hundreds of homeless men living in Salvation Army shelter care between 2007-2008 and finds that factors such as employment, income, healthcare and housing continue to adversely affect the marginalized throughout Canada.

These findings show that nearly 30 percent of homeless men are employed and nearly two-thirds receive money from some source of welfare or a job, yet many still find themselves within the shelter care system. The findings conclude that a national housing strategy, which includes social services, like job training, health care and counseling, must be prioritized by federal officials in order to end the cycle of poverty.

"Our study found that there's an immediate demand for affordable housing," said Commissioner William W. Francis, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda "But, housing by itself, will not solve homelessness. It's only through a strong foundation of social supports that homeless individuals can begin to transition out of poverty and into permanent housing."

The report – "Poverty Shouldn't be a Life Sentence" - is the cornerstone of The Salvation Army's Red Shield Campaign, which officially begins today. Throughout the month of May, the campaign will raise funds to support Salvation Army programs - particularly the more than 3.5 million people currently living in poverty. To spread public awareness, The Salvation Army has released a debut documentary, "One Day of Hope," on its Web site: www.SalvationArmy.ca. The film, which was directed by Hubert Davis from Untitled Films, gives a day-in-the-life look at the people and places that make up The Salvation Army's shelter services. In addition to the featured film, The Salvation Army's national advertising campaign, which spotlights the issue of poverty in Canada under the tagline – "Poverty shouldn't be a life sentence" will be running during the month of May. [...] [Read More]

Source:
Homelessness: Auditor General Identifies Need for Provincial Focus
New Release, Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia (5.03.09)

VICTORIA [5 March 2009] – Today, Auditor General John Doyle released his latest report, Homelessness: Clear Focus Needed – an audit to assess if government is providing adequate leadership to reduce and prevent homelessness in British Columbia.

Doyle notes that ministries and other government agencies are coordinating efforts in a number of significant areas, but overall, the province does not have a clear strategy for reducing homelessness. "Despite putting in place many best practice strategies and programs, government has not been successful in reducing homelessness," said Doyle.

Download PDF • Backgrounder

"Given the complexity of the issue, reducing and preventing homelessness requires a long-term, coordinated effort by all levels of government. This starts with the province taking a lead role and establishing a clear focus," said Doyle.

The report notes that government's goals and objectives are poorly defined, and that no overall target for homelessness has been identified. Doyle said, "When there are no clear goals or performance targets, accountability for results is missing. How will we know we are successful if we have not identified success?" Also, a clear profile of BC's homeless population has yet to be developed because Government does not have the information it needs to make effective decisions.

The Auditor General makes a number of recommendations to address homelessness in British Columbia including developing a comprehensive plan to address homelessness, designating an agency to lead homeless initiatives and gathering better information about the homeless population.

Source:
B.C. Throne Speech targets homelessness: Government promises integrated intervention strategy and community safety initiatives in run-up to Olympics
Justine Hunter, Globe and Mail (17.02.09)

VICTORIA -- Programs designed to house the province's most entrenched homeless population will be expanded this year, Premier Gordon Campbell promised yesterday.

With less than a year before the 2010 Winter Olympics bring the international spotlight to Vancouver, the government set out a new commitment in the Speech from the Throne to combat poverty, drug addiction and mental-health issues in the country's most impoverished neighbourhood, the Downtown Eastside.

The speech, read by Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point, promised a new integrated, personalized homelessness intervention strategy and a new community safety strategy - initiatives that will be combined with expanded social housing.

Asked later for details, Mr. Campbell said the plan is not exactly new but will expand on existing programs like Victoria's Assertive Community Treatment teams that help find housing for the hardest-to-house.

Since the Victoria ACT teams started work a year ago, they have offered services to 152 clients - hardcore street people with repeated conflicts with the law - and today 131 people are still successfully housed.

The Premier said his government has marked progress in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, but added: "We have to keep on this problem."

The Throne Speech focused on the economy and job creation, as expected, warning that B.C. must brace for a recession. [...]

Further reading...

• Speech from the Throne 2009, Government of British Columbia
• B.C. throne speech puts all-day kindergarten (aka childcare) on hold
  Pieta Woolley, Straight.com (16.02.09)
  • CCCABC BC Budget 2009 Consultation Submission
    Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC (10.08)
• Brace for recession and cuts, B.C. Throne Speech says
  Jonathan Fowlie, Vancouver Sun (16.02.09)
• B.C. throne speech promises no cuts to health care, education
  CBC News (16.02.09)
  
  The speech was a thick 39 pages, but slim on new policies, programs and services. Instead, Premier Gordon Campbell's government promised jobs, stability and confidence during difficult economic times but once again refused to increase the province's minimum wage, currently standing at $8 an hour.
  
  
  • Minimum wage laws – the state of pay in Canada
    CBC News (23.01.09)
    For more on Minimum Wage, see Poverty in Canada.
    
    

    HOURLY MINIMUM PAY FOR ADULTS
    PROVINCE	WAGE	By the numbers – minimum wage in 2008 Women accounted for 60 per cent of workers who earned a minimum wage. About 35 per cent of teens aged 15 to 19 worked for minimum wage. Twenty-nine per cent of minimum wage workers fell between the ages of 25 to 54. People who did not complete high school were five times more likely than those with some post- secondary training to earn minimum wage or less. Nine per cent of workers who received a minimum wage belonged to a union or were covered by a collective agreement.
    Newfoundland & Labrador	$8.00 (as of April 2008)
    Ontario	$8.75 (as of March 2008)
    Nova Scotia	$8.10 (as of May 2008)
    Quebec	$8.50 (as of May 2008)
    Prince Edward Island	$8.00 (as of October 2008)
    Manitoba	$8.50 (as of April 2008)
    New Brunswick	$7.75 (as of March 2008)
    Saskatchewan	$8.60 (as of May 2008)
    British Columbia	$8.00 (as of November 2001)
    Alberta	$8.40 (as of April 2008)
    Source: Statistics Canada Adapted from Minimum wage laws – the state of pay in Canada, CBC News (Accessed 17.02.09) NOTE: Rates in several provinces are scheduled to change this year. For the latest changes, see Current And Forthcoming Minimum Hourly Wage Rates For Experienced Adult Workers in Canada, Government of Canada, Human Resources and Social Development Canada

Source:
$134,000 per year Lifestyle
Richard Warnica, The Edmonton Journal (26.01.09)

That's what one Calgary study said it costs to support a chronically homeless person: This week a major report recommends how Edmonton should handle its own crisis

[...] The guy is real, a patient at the Boyle McCauley Health Centre, just north of the downtown core. An alcoholic with post-traumatic stress disorder, he's been on the street for a couple of years, making him what experts call chronically homeless.

There are probably fewer than a thousand people like him in Edmonton. Yet according to a growing body of research, it's likely his group costs the city and province enormous sums in medical and emergency services.

Because of the range of institutions and organizations in which they interact, it's hard to come up with an exact figure on how much is spent -- between ER visits, ambulance trips, court appearances, remand stays and emergency shelters -- on the chronically homeless.

Still, based on anecdotal evidence here and studies done elsewhere, it's almost certain that number is in the tens, if not the hundreds, of millions of dollars every year.

That's tens of millions of dollars -- not to take them off the street, give them a home, or round-the-clock care -- just to keep them from getting much worse.

About a year ago, Calgary launched a 10-year plan to end homelessness. The Edmonton report to be released Thursday will likely adopt many of the key details of that plan.

As part of the background for the Calgary study, the city hired a forensic accountant to tally their current spending on homelessness.

The conservative estimate: about $320 million is spent on a homeless population of about 4,000 in a given year, according to Tim Richter, the president of the Calgary Homeless Foundation.

For the 1,200 chronic homeless, the cost was about $134,000 per person, per year, Richter said.

Those numbers are at the high end of a range from similar studies in U.S. and Canadian cities conducted over the past decade. But they're no anomaly.

The City of Ottawa hired Steve Pomeroy to investigate the costs of different responses to homelessness in 2007. As part of his work, he looked at the money spent on the issue in cities across Canada.

"Having done this in about six or eight cities now, what I've found is that the relative patterns of cost are quite consistent," he said.

One oft-cited New York study Pomeroy mentioned in his work found homeless people with severe mental illness in that city used an average of $40,000 per person per year in emergency services. [...] [Read the full article]

Read The Edmonton Journal's in-depth series on the City of Edmonton's plan to end homelessness.

Source:
News flash: Feds extend housing / homeless investments but freeze dollars
Michael Shapcott, Wellesley Institute (21 September 2008)

Just three days before it triggered an election, the federal government quietly approved a five-year extension of Canada's national housing and homelessness programs that were due to expire. But it has frozen the dollars despite growing need, according to a backgrounder from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation on Friday.

"On September 4, 2008, the Government of Canada decided to set aside funding for housing and homelessness programs at $387.9 million per year for five years to March 31, 2014," reported CMHC, the federal government's housing agency, on September 19.

There is no breakdown on the funding. But the overall dollars haven't budged much since the original programs were announced almost a decade ago, despite growing national need and growing inflation (that has cut into the value of the dollars). More details on federal housing and homelessness issues and the federal election are in a special section on the Wellesley Institute web site. [...]

Source:
Green party plans to fight poverty, homelessness:
Leader Elizabeth May says economic deprivation 'has no place' in Canada
Mary Frances Hill, Vancouver Sun (20 September 2008)
For more on Guaranteed Livable Income, see links under
Housing and Homelessness, Canada Election 2008.

Elizabeth May Releases Green Party Platform (18.09.08)

[...] Among the proposals in its economic platform, Closing the Gap, the Green party pledges to introduce a Guaranteed Livable Income, a national affordable housing program and more Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. funding for non-market housing, and to build 20,000 new affordable housing units.

The guaranteed income plan, still in its concept stage, would replace assistance programs including welfare that "are highly bureaucratic and shame-based," said Carr in between photo opportunities at the United We Can bottle depot on Carrall Street and the Carnegie Centre at Main and Hastings.

The new social assistance program would be simple, require less bureaucracy and place more money into the pockets of people who need it the most, Carr said. It would work like a negative income tax, decreasing slightly in proportion to a person's income.

Unlike welfare, she said, Canadians would be able to maintain some privacy over their financial choices.

"You wouldn't have to be eligible by applying for it, and in essence, having the welfare police constantly checking whether you're working, or capable, or whether you need that extra pair of running shoes." [...]

Source:
Community court first of its kind in Canada
ctvbc.ca (6 September 2008)

The community court model is based on a concept called 'restorative justice' - similar to the communal problem-solving aboriginal people have used for eons.

"The individuals in the downtown eastside are hurt and they need healing," Chief Leah George-Wilson from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation told CTV. "The way for things to be made right for them is to have those services available."

The idea of community court is to take a problem-solving approach to crime. By dealing with the underlying health and social problems that contribute to crime, the hope is chronic offenders can be rehabilitated effectively. The way community court hopes to achieve this goal is to focus on integrated case management. Social housing and addictions counselors will be in the court beside lawyers and sheriffs, with the public welcome to participate in what is hoped will be the speedy rehabilitation of repeat offenders. [...]

• And See:
• Criminal Justice Reform Projects: Vancouver's Downtown Community Court
• Canada's First 'Community Court': Can It Help Addicts? Goal is fast justice, better options for offenders.
  Monte Paulsen, The Tyee (5 September 2008)
• Community court to change 'culture' of justice in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
  Canadian Press (7 September 2008)

Source:
Ahead of Games, city reaches out to Vancouver homeless:
Mental health effort aims to take hundreds of people off streets of Downtown Eastside
Ian Bailey, globeandmail.com (5 September 2008)

VANCOUVER -- As many as 300 homeless people, largely from the Downtown Eastside, are to be moved off the streets and into housing next summer as part of a project by the Mental Health Commission of Canada that will have the side effect of helping clear the poverty stricken area before the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The Globe and Mail has learned that the three-year project is part of a five-city effort first announced in this year's federal budget. There has never been any explicit link to the Olympics, which are expected to bring global attention to the Vancouver region that includes Canada's poorest postal code.

But the timing of the effort and some early details, disclosed to The Globe in a briefing, could have an impact on the homeless situation in the neighbourhood - a 10-block area where open drug dealing and use occurs.

"People who are currently very visible in the Downtown Eastside and other areas of Vancouver, who have mental health and addiction issues, will be offered housing through rent subsidies primarily, and will be offered a different kind of service than they currently have access to," said Paula Goering, a lead researcher for the commission's project...

• And See:
• Homeless Research Demonstration
  The Mental Health Commission of Canada
  The Homeless and Mental Illness: Solving the Challenge
  Michael Kirby, Mental Health Commission of Canada (28 April 2008)

Source:
Homeless population jumps beyond 4,000 - More families need help: Calgary report
Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald (16 July 2008)

Calgary's homeless numbers are growing significantly faster than the city's general population, leaping 18 per cent since 2006 according to this year's count. As of May 14 there were 4,060 homeless Calgarians, up from 3,436 in 2006. Officials cannot explain it, but the rate of homeless families jumped dramatically, rising to 197 from 145 in 2006 -- a 36 per cent increase. [...]

Source:
New Study Documents Brutal Impact of Homelessness on Women
News Release, CNW (23 June 2008)

"A Life-Threatening Condition"
TORONTO, June 23 /CNW/ - A new study released today documents the brutal impact of homelessness on the lives of women in Toronto. Calling homelessness a "life-threatening" condition for women, the study reveals staggering rates of sexual assault among homeless women, and documents health impacts that significantly reduce life expectancy. The Women & Homelessness Research Bulletin, released jointly by Street Health and Sistering, paints a detailed picture of women's street homelessness today and its devastating impact.

"We were staggered to learn that homeless women are ten times more likely to be sexually assaulted than homeless men and are more likely to have a serious physical health condition," stated Kate Mason, study coordinator at Street Health. "One in five women had been sexually assaulted in the past year and almost all - 84% - had at least one serious physical health condition."

"Absolute poverty exists on the streets of our city with brutal consequences for women," said Angela Robertson, study advisor, and Executive Director of Sistering. "Homeless women cannot meet their basic survival needs - they don't know where their next meal is coming from, they don't have safe shelter or private space to address personal hygiene needs. The provincial government is developing a strategy to reduce poverty, that strategy should include steps to bring an end to women's street homelessness. It's unsafe and unjust to condemn a woman to live on the street."

The study is a partnership between Street Health, an organization providing nursing care and street outreach services to homeless people, and Sistering, a multi-service agency for homeless and low-income women in Toronto. It surveyed 97 homeless women in Toronto about their health status and access to health care. Findings include information on the causes of homelessness, the difficult daily lives of homeless women, their physical and mental health status, as well as the barriers homeless women face when attempting to access health care. The bulletin sets out a series of solutions aimed at service providers and all levels of government to improve the health of homeless women and end homelessness. [...] [Read More]

And See: Street Health | Sistering | Wellesley Institute

Source:
New program to help homeless set to start within year
Jake Rupert, The Ottawa Citizen (3 June 2008)

OTTAWA - The first of what are to be hundreds of street people will enter the new program designed to end homelessness in the city by the end this year or early next year at the latest, say officials spearheading the initiative.

Details of the program are being worked out. It will follow ones from around the world that are very simple and showing success, and the goal is to eliminate homelessness in the city within 10 years.

Under the program, hardcore homeless people - those living on the streets or in shelters for more than 60 days - will be given small apartments and the supports the need, like addiction and mental health services, to stay off the street for good.

In North America, Philip Mangano, an appointee of U.S. President George W. Bush, has helped implement such programs in hundreds of cities, and Tuesday he guaranteed local leaders that if they implement the program, it will reduce the number of people living on our streets. "I assure you that the investment you are making will lead to a return," he said. "You will see the numbers of people living on the streets decline. It will improve the quality of life for everybody in your community, especially your poorest and most vulnerable neighbours."

The goals are both economic and humanitarian. A city study estimates that each of the city's 900 or so hardcore homeless costs the provincial, federal and municipal governments $400 to $500 per day when the costs of shelters, soup kitchens, policing, hospital stays, jail and other resources are added in. By comparison, the study found that if homeless people are given homes with support services, it's much cheaper and better for the person. It's estimated that a person needing the highest amount in support programs would cost $115 a day if they were in their own apartment. A person needing low support would cost $24 per day. The city study is backed up by dozens in other cities in Canada, the U.S. and abroad. [...]

Related:

• COST OF RESPONDING TO HOMELESSNESS IN OTTAWA
  Submitted by Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager, Community and Protective Services, to the Committee(s) of Council, City of Ottawa (7 November 2007)

  BACKGROUND
  In February 2007, Community and Protective Services Committee (CPSC) adopted a report entitled Streets to Homes Initiative for Addressing Homelessness. The report disposition directed staff to provide an analysis of current costs of municipal services provided to the homeless population in Ottawa in order to build a business case for investment in housing with supports; to identify where to maximize the value of the current community investments to directly contribute to the achievement of the objectives of a housing first strategy; and to provide a progress report back to CPSC by fall 2007. [...]

  Investment in Housing with Supports
  It is far more cost effective to provide affordable, supportive housing than to treat the daily crisis caused by the lack of supportive housing. The current system is mainly geared to dealing with the crisis. The main gap is lack of adequate supports to help people stay in their homes and out of emergency rooms, shelters. The responsibility for the funding of supports to housing lies with the provincial government.

  While community supportive housing is roughly equivalent in cost compared to the public expenditures incurred in the institutionalized emergency shelter system, supportive housing provides a much more stabilizing environment which likely reduces incidence of emergency service use (i.e. emergency hospitals, policing services, etc.) It also provides a more stable and higher quality of life for the formerly homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless.

  An example of a current program aimed at helping to prevent homelessness is the recently funded "Aging in Place" program for seniors in social housing. Located in five apartment buildings, this program provides immediate access to supports for over 1,200 seniors, and has already reduced or eliminated chronic use of emergency room medical services. Annual funding for this program is $700,000, from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. While not specifically about chronic homelessness, it is a good demonstration of the importance and value of funding preventative supports to housing. [...]

• Toronto's Streets to Homes among the world's best housing programs
• Interagency Council on Homelessness - Innovative Initiatives (USA)
• Homelessness leadership group has some great ideas
  Randall Denley, The Ottawa Citizen (1 June 2008)
  

  ...If they are looking for an approach that's even more simple, the leadership group could emulate what is being done by the Canadian Mental Health Association. That group serves the portion of the homeless who are most severely affected by mental health and addiction problems. Rather than house them in large groups, the CMHA has bought individual condo units and arranged with landlords to rent space in regular apartment buildings. The association provides the mental health support. It hasn't received much recognition here, but the program is a success that other cities are examining, says CMHA executive director Marion Wright. One of the keys to that success is that it integrates people with significant problems into the regular community rather than grouping them together...

• The cost of homelessness
  Lori Culbert, With Files From Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun (22 March 2008)
  

  B.C. spends $644 million a year on services for those on the street. A study says the same amount would buy supported housing for all. [...]

  ...the conclusion of the 150-page report -- written by five academics at Simon Fraser University, the University of B.C. and the University of Calgary -- is that B.C. taxpayers could even save money if that cash was instead spent directly on supported social housing.

  "We wound up generating an estimated cost [of homeless people] in B.C. that is roughly the same as the cost of implementing the full-meal deal of housing and supports for every one of those people," said one of the authors, professor Julian Somers, director of SFU's Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction.

  The report, completed last month, says its research shows that approximately 130,000 people in B.C. have a severe addiction and/or a mental illness; about 26,500 of those people are "inadequately housed and inadequately supported," including 11,750 who are "absolutely homeless."

  The authors said that at the time the report was written, there were 7,741 supported housing units in B.C. for people with mental illness and/or addictions, and therefore concluded an estimated 18,759 vulnerable people were at "imminent risk of homelessness."

  Study:
  Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia
  Michelle Pattterson, Julian M. Somers, Karen McIntosh, Alan Shiell, Charles James Frankish. Centre For Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University (February 2008)

• Focus On: Leadership Table on Homelessness
  United Way Ottawa. (February 2008)
• Supportive Housing From the Ground Up: Frequently Asked Questions
  Canadian Research Network for Care in the Community (CRNCC) (1 October 2007)
• OTTAWA CITY HOUSING STRATEGY 2007-2012
• Ottawa's 2006-2008 Community Action Plan on Homelessness
  (Soon to be updated)
• The Cost of Homelessness and the Value of Investment in Housing Support Services in Halifax Regional Municipality
  Cities & Environment Unit, Dalhousie University (June 2006)
  

  The provision of supportive housing substantially reduces the burden on hospitals, psychiatric care, prisons and jails. This trend had been observed nationally and internationally. People in supportive housing on average spend only one third as much time in these facilities as the homeless population. While the cost may not always be obvious because it is spread over different departments and budgets, these are expensive services. The actual costs vary, but the pattern is clear: homelessness is expensive, and substantial broad cost savings of about 40% can be achieved by investing in supportive housing.

• Housing for Persons With Mental Disabilities
  Canadian Mental Health Association (November 1995)
• POLICY DOCUMENT RESPECTING HOUSING AND SUPPORT
  Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division (14 March 1995)

Source:
Harm Reduction and Housing First Action Plan
Social Planning: City of Nanaimo
City of Nanaimo (Released 28 May 2008)
See Also: News Release: City of Nanaimo Harm Reduction and
Housing First Action Plan (23 May 2008)

Harm Reduction and Housing First Action Plan
...Homelessness and attendant problems have become a visible issue for the City, primarily in the Downtown area. The Action Plan is one of a series of City initiatives to address homelessness including cooperation with the Downtown business community, neighbourhood groups and the formation of the Safer Nanaimo Working Group.

The Plan has three main components:

• A review of Best Practices in other jurisdictions;
• An examination of the Existing Situation in Nanaimo; and
• An Action Plan.

The review of Best Practices highlights a Housing First approach to homelessness, which emphasizes moving people off the streets and into housing as quickly as possible and following up with support services. With supports and harm reduction measures, individuals are able to move towards self-reliance and independence.

The examination of the homeless situation in Nanaimo concluded that the number of homeless is estimated to range from 150 to 300 and varies by season. Nanaimo sees a large number of transient homeless because it is a Hub City – a major geographic and transportation centre. The majority of the homeless are in their mid 20s to mid 40s in age and have addiction issues. A smaller percentage experience mental illness.

The Action Plan has eight areas of action to be undertaken over a five-year period. The Plan proposes a Housing First and Harm Reduction approach designed to get homeless people into housing and provide them with the supports they need to maintain their housing and begin to get their lives back on track. Proposed harm reduction measures are to be integrated with the housing initiative to reduce the impacts of high-risk behaviour, such as drug abuse, on the individual and on the wider community... [Read More]

Source:
Finding Our Way Home:
A Report on the Homelessness Crisis in British Columbia
David Chudnovsky, MLA, NDP (8 April 2008)

Recommendations:

1. Re-establish the Ministry of Housing
2. Eliminate the homeless crisis in 5 years
3. Re-invest in a social housing program
4. Support local governments and community organizations
5. Focus on the whole province
6. Expand social housing on existing sites
7. Include four key elements in social housing and support programs:
   • "Housing First plus the supports necessary for success"
   • Homelessness prevention
   • Adequate infrastructure
   • Accountability
8. Maintain and expand the public land bank
9. Protect manufactured home tenants
10. Strengthen security of tenure and rights for tenants
11. Increase income assistance rates and the minimum wage
12. Increase mental health and addiction services

Source:
Experiencing Homelessness:
Fourth Report Card on ENDING Homelessness in Ottawa (Jan-Dec 2007)
Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa (Released 1 April 2008)

The number of people using emergency shelters showed a small decline to 8,915 individuals, but shelter beds were filled 18,540 more times in 2007 than in 2006. This 5.7% increase – to 342,165 times that shelter beds were used – is largely a result of longer stays.

Compared to 2006, the average length of stay in an emergency shelter is up 13.9% in 2007. This reflects the difficulty of finding suitable and affordable housing in an expensive housing market.

Modest increases in minimum wage and income support were offset by an increase in rents and other living costs.

Of particular concern is the rise in the number of families using emergency shelters. In 2007, 1,237 children spent time in an emergency shelter, an increase of 6.4% compared to 2006.

Overall, homelessness worsened in 2007 after some progress in 2006. It's time for the Ottawa community to say "Enough is enough! We've got to get moving to end this!" [Read More]

See more recent:
 Preliminary Numbers from 2008 Indicate Homelessness Continues to Increase Throughout Metra Vancouver [Media Release: Metro Vancouver on behalf of the Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness: April 8, 2008]
 Metro Vancouver Homeless Count Figures 2008: Preliminary Numbers: April 8, 2008

Source: Up to 15,500 Homeless: Report
Tally of BC homeless by health profs far higher than housing minister's.
Andrew MacLeod, TheTyee.ca (31 January 2008)

The number of homeless people in British Columbia may be triple the estimate Housing minister Rich Coleman provided to The Tyee last week, according to a new report by health professors at UBC, SFU and the University of Calgary.

In B.C. there may be as many as 15,500 adults with severe addictions or mental illness who are homeless, says the 149-page report, Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia. The report is dated October, 2007, and was released to The Tyee on Jan. 30, 2008.

The authors are SFU's Michelle Patterson and Julian Somers, Calgary's Karen McIntosh and Alan Shiell, and UBC's Jim Frankish. The report was prepared at the request of the health ministry's mental health and addictions branch. Other partners and contributors to the report include the provincial health authorities, the Employment and Income Assistance ministry and Coleman's own Forests and Range ministry.

To get their estimate, the authors used data and reports from the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Canadian Senate, the provincial government and academic journals. "No single authoritative source of information is available to derive these estimates," the report says. "However, a number of recent reports offered valuable insights into various levels of housing need."

The report says some 130,000 adults in B.C. have severe addictions and/or mental illnesses. About 39,000 are "inadequately housed," meaning they meet the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation's definition of being in "core housing need." Of those, about 26,500 don't have enough support to help them stay in their home.

Somewhere between 8,000 and 15,500 are what the report calls "absolutely homeless," meaning they are living on the streets, couch surfing or otherwise without shelter. The report says the authors confirmed their figures with "local stakeholders and key informants." The report also says that despite impressions that homelessness, mental illness and addiction are urban problems, interviews with front-line workers found the same problems were "highly prevalent in rural settings." [Read More]

Source: More shelter beds for Victoria's homeless
Streetlink to move from harbourside spot into Rock Bay area; 170 new and upgraded units to be built
Times Colonist, 22 January 2008
See also: Cool Aid Shelter and Housing Programs to Expand (22 January 2008)

The Streetlink Shelter, the bane of downtown businesses and place of last refuge for many homeless people, will be moved from Store Street as part of an initiative that will also create an additional 78 supportive housing units and 35 shelter beds. Victoria's Ellice Street park, north of downtown, will be the site of the new facility.

The announcement was made yesterday as part of a sweeping homeless initiative by the City of Victoria and the province that will see more than 170 housing units constructed for homeless people. The plan includes units that will be redeveloped.

A price tag wasn't given, but Rich Coleman, B.C.'s minister responsible for housing, said the money will come from $41 million earmarked last fall to deal with homelessness. The province will pay development costs for the projects and arrange all capital costs and operating funds either through B.C. Housing or other partners.

Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe said the projects will be fast-tracked through the city's development process with a view to having two of the sites open in 2008 and the Streetlink site redeveloped by 2010. The city will make one parcel of land available for the project and exempt the operations from property taxes. [...] [Read more]

Source: Study: Poor still battling to find good housing
Nova Scotia News - TheChronicleHerald.ca, 18 January 2008

...The working poor — those whose sole income was from a full-time, minimum-wage job — faced similar problems despite the fact minimum wage in all 22 cities has gone up in recent years and is about $8 per hour.

"In no case could a single person earning minimum wage be able to find an affordable private rental unit in any of the 22 communities. Depending on where they lived, they required anywhere from $463 to $1,673 in additional monthly wages in order to spend less than 30 per cent of their income on an average one-bedroom apartment," the study said.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact there has been little construction of social housing by government and the fact that few private entrepreneurs are building rental accommodation for low-income people, the report said. Most private rental properties serving people with low incomes are in need of replacement because they are 40 years old or older, the study added...

Source:
Quality of Life in Canadian Communities:
Trends & Issues in Affordable Housing & Homelessness
Federation of Canadian Municipalities (16 January 2008)
EXCERPT, p.18 of 32

Source:
Housing goal a challenge, admits mayor
Promise made to find 50 homes for street people
Cindy E. Harnett, © Times Colonist, 6 December 2007
To read the respective sections of and supporting documents for the Mayor's Task Force on Breaking the Cycle of Mental Illness, Addictions and Homelessness, (19 October 2007), see here.

More than a month after Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe promised to find homes for 50 street people within 120 days, there is no indication even one hard-to-house person has been identified or one home secured.

"I don't know, time will tell," Lowe said yesterday of meeting the deadline, which he says depends on the number of housing units available and how quickly proposed outreach teams mobilize. Also, a governance structure, needed to implement the plan outlined in the mayor's task force report on homelessness released Oct. 19, has yet to be adopted. It may still be do-able. We're doing what we can to try to meet whatever we can in the first 120 days," Lowe said. "Even if we house 40, we'll have made a great start and built momentum."

More Stories and Related News... Alan Lowe won't seek re-election as Victoria mayor Carolyn Heiman, Times Colonist (5.12.07) Editorial: Homeless solutions within our reach Times Colonist (2.12.07) The Street: Doing business on the front lines Jody Paterson, Special to Times Colonist (25.11.07) The Street: A morning out with cleanup crews Jody Paterson, Times Colonist (18.11.07) Homelessness website to involve public in solutions: No quick fix, but ideas needed, group says Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist (16.10.07) The Street: "Wakeup" patrol with Victoria police Jody Paterson, Times Colonist (11.11.07)

The actual 120-day deadline is Feb. 15, but with Christmas holidays, Lowe said he's shooting for March 1. Victoria lawyer Stewart Johnston, who is seeking to temporarily shut down the Cormorant Street needle exchange where many homeless addicts congregate, and force the health authority to fund a bigger, better location, said the mayor must stick to his promise.

"We knew it would be difficult, the task force knew, and so did the mayor. So, it's difficult; now carry on and do it," he said. "If it were easy, it would not be a problem all these years, and getting worse." Johnston doesn't place the burden of delivery solely on the mayor's shoulders -- he notes the provincial and federal governments must provide substantial funding for housing and mental-health and addiction services.

The city's task force aims to find 1,550 housing units over the next five years for the homeless. Within a year, the city plans to find accommodations, through rent subsidies, for 350 people. Various avenues are being explored. The new Our Place complex could take a few people, according to Lowe, but Victoria Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe said that facility was not part of the plan for the first 50 people. Some might go directly to detox/treatment beds, she said, while others might bump supportive-housing tenants functioning well enough to "graduate" to more independent, apartment-style housing. In the new year, capital region mayors will be asked what housing stock they can provide.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority has kicked in $7.6 million toward the effort -- more than $3 million of that going toward the creation of four outreach groups, called Assertive Community Teams, which will provide support in the areas of housing, substance abuse and mental health. Another $1.7 million is earmarked for adult detox treatment.

Housing 50 people within four months is expected to have an immediate effect downtown. Many of the homeless often end up sprawled outside the Cormorant Street needle exchange or Streetlink on Store Street, amid feces, filth and scattered hypodermic needles.

Thornton-Joe said the task force had its "First 50" meeting on Monday. "There's been discussion but we actually haven't said here's the page [of names]," she said. Once determined, the names will be kept confidential. The task force felt it should set an aggressive target to get everyone motivated, said Thornton-Joe, adding she's not conceding defeat on the deadline.

"It's realistic and optimistic," she said. "I don't think it will be impossible. Whether we reach all 50, that's the question."

Source:
Build housing for homeless to save money, study suggests
Jake Rupert, Ottawa Citizen, 12 November 2007

A city-commissioned study has concluded that the current approach to dealing with chronically homeless people costs taxpayers up to 10 times more than it would to give the same people a home and support programs.

The study will be tabled at the city's community services committee Thursday.

It is part of a comprehensive review of the city's approach to its chronically homeless population of about 900 people who are costing millions in shelter, policing, jail, and hospital services, said the study.

It would be much more cost-effective to build social housing and provide addiction, education, and mental and physical health services directly to this population, the study by Focus Consulting concludes.

The report says chronically homeless people cost about $51 a day in shelters. But when policing, hospital stays, and jail resources directed toward this population are added in, the cost increases to an average of $400 to $500 a day for each person.

By comparison, the study found a person needing the highest amount in support programs would cost $115 a day if they were in their own apartment. A person needing low support would cost $24 per day.

"Institutional and emergency responses are much more costly than long-term housing options, even when including the costs associated with providing support services with the housing," the study says. [...] [Read more]

See also:
1) Minimum Housing Wage 2006: Housing Continues to Move Out of
Reach for minimum Wage Workers
Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (January 2007)
Focus Consulting, Inc. (2006)
2) Proactive versus Reactive Responses to Homelessness:
A Costing Analysis [PPT]
Alliance to End Homelessness Community Forum on Homelessness:
Linking Ottawa Research with Action and Policy.
(22 November 2006) Steve Pomeroy, Focus Consulting, Inc.

Source:
ALBERTA - Province to create a 10-year plan to end homelessness
News Release, Government of Alberta, 29 October 2007

Edmonton... The province is undertaking an ambitious 10-year plan to co-ordinate initiatives that address homelessness in Alberta through the development of an Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness. The initiative will be led by the Honourable Yvonne Fritz, Associate minister of Affordable Housing and Urban Development.

"We recognize the many diverse challenges ahead in addressing the issues around homelessness," said Premier Ed Stelmach. "I have every confidence that through the leadership of Associate minister Fritz, the Secretariat for Action on Homelessness will be very successful in completing its work. This is an ambitious goal, but one that I believe we must pursue to help those most in need."

The new Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness will have a mandate to develop a provincial strategy to end homelessness. The Secretariat will work closely with municipalities throughout the province to co-ordinate and support them in the development of their regional homeless strategies, utilizing the best practices of programs that have worked. [...]

The Secretariat will include representation from throughout the province and is expected to be in place by April 2008. Over the next several months, a governance and accountability structure, terms of reference including membership, and budget will be developed.

In response to the Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force report, the province committed more than $285 million in new funding this year to address immediate housing pressures. The Alberta government's affordable housing strategy will lead to the development of more than 11,000 units over the next five years.

Addressing affordable housing and homelessness is part of Premier Ed Stelmach's plan to secure Alberta's future by building communities, greening our growth and creating opportunity. Further details regarding the new Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness will be available in the weeks ahead on the Municipal Affairs and Housing website at www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca. [...]

The Downside of Alberta's Boom...

• New workers swamp Calgary's homeless agencies in Calgary: Families drawn by the economic boom can't find housing Kim Guttormson, CanWest News Service (8 July 2006)
• Fort McMurray teens swapping sexual favours for shelter: report
  CBC News (27 September 2007). FORT McMURRAY HOUSING NEEDS COUNT 2006, Wood Buffalo Homelessness Initiatives Steering Committee.
  See also: Fort McMurray Youth Housing Needs Report (August 2007)
• Alberta ready to defy boom bust cycles of the past: TD Economics
  CNW Telbec (27 September 2007)

  [T]he vacancy rates for lower end rental units in the Edmonton market declined from 5-6 percent to 1-1.5 percent in 2006, pushing up rents sharply. Homelessness has soared - up approximately 20 percent in 2006. In Calgary, estimates of the number of homeless show a near five-fold increase over the past decade. Smaller markets in the Corridor are now experiencing similar shortages of affordable housing. [...]

• BY THE NUMBERS: 2007 CALGARY HOUSING FACTS
  Poverty Reduction Coalition (August 2007)
• Western cities plagued by rising social problems: report
  CBC News (12 September 2007). Hard Times: A Portrait of Street Level Social Problems in Western Canada (for details, see right column, this page)
• Shelters for the Homeless & Hard to House
  Government of ALberta - Municipal Affairs & Housing
  See also: Housing Programs

Source:
A Western Cities Project Discussion Paper
Karen Wilkie, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation, October 2007
Click image to download the full report (PDF).

October 2007: Addressing affordable housing shortfalls and meeting the needs of individuals and families are key issues in many communities across Canada. However, identifying the need for affordable housing is just a first step. In order to effectively meet the affordable housing needs in a community, a number of considerations must be taken into account. Building the Future outlines ten of these considerations:

1. Communities must identify and clarify the type(s) of affordable housing required.
2. Communities must take a two-pronged approach to meet the growing demand for affordable housing: i) new construction; and ii) maintaining existing forms of affordable housing.
3. Communities must recognize that, in many cases, "bricks and mortar" are not enough. The needs of the residents must be "built in."
4. Determining where affordable housing units should be located is critical.
5. Communities must identify and address barriers to affordable housing.
6. Partnerships must be established.
7. Affordable housing is not just a job for government. The free market has an important role to play.
8. Housing is both a supply and demand issue and public policies need to address both sides of the issue.
9. Affordable housing requires long-term thinking.
10. Addressing the affordable housing challenge in Canada will cost money.

This short and accessible paper will be of great use to policy-makers and the public as Canadians wrestle with the best ways to address the affordable housing challenge and ensure that all Canadians have an adequate roof over their heads.

For more information about the paper or the Western Cities Project, please contact Robert Roach, Director of Research (roach@cwf.ca). Please direct media inquires to: Gary Slywchuk, slywchuk@cwf.ca, 403-835-8192.

Lost in the Shuffle: The Impact of Homelessness on Children's Education in Toronto
Phase 3 Report of the Kid Builders Research Project, Ann Decter, Community Social Planning Council of Toronto and Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre on Monday
(1 October 2007)

Source:
Press Release
Community Social Planning Council

Thousands of homeless children losing out on education
October 1, 2007
TORONTO – A groundbreaking new report shows at least 2,000 homeless children in Toronto are needlessly at risk of slipping through the cracks of the education system every year.

Lost in the Shuffle, by the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto and Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre, is the first study in Canada to document the impact of homelessness on children's education in Toronto.

The report found that the majority of homeless children aged six to 12 attend three schools in the year they lose housing, and as a result repeat material and miss curriculum. Highly transient students can attend more than 10 schools before reaching high school, and many of them face barriers due to emotional trauma.

"Neither the school system nor the shelter system is equipped to systematically help them through," says report author Ann Decter.

"And yet we know the steps we can take to make sure homeless children stay on track with their education without massive new spending. Teachers need help to keep these kids on the right track, and the kids need the support of a trained professional – a guardian angel on their side."

Community experts are uniting in a call to help transient students cope.

"We owe it to these kids to recognize the challenges they experience and to support them. We know we can build resiliency to help them overcome tough times," said Paula Carrie of Aisling Discoveries, the organization that pioneered ways to smooth the path for these children.

According to a national survey, 76% of women and 88% of children in shelters were escaping situations of abuse.

"Domestic violence is the sleeping giant in children's homelessness. Many of these children are going to school afraid that their fathers are going to find them on the playground," said Rhonda Roffey, executive director of Women's Habitat.

In any given year, since 1990, the annual population of children living in Toronto's homeless shelters has ranged from a high of nearly 7,000 to no less than 3,500. The full report, funded by the United Way of Greater Toronto, is available online at www.socialplanningtoronto.org. [...]

Source:
Chamber seeking homeless solution
Rudy Haugeneder, News staff, Victoria News (21 Sep 2007) [Links added.]

Special housing eyed where chronically homeless can get the help they need
Desperately looking for a way to deal with downtown Victoria's growing numbers of homeless – about 1,200 people at last count – the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce thinks it's found a way to get at least 200 chronically homeless off the street.

But it's not a made-in-Canada solution.

The answer is adopting a Canadian version of the American Interagency Council of Homelessness strategy that's decreased the number of homeless on the streets of participating cities by up to 70 per cent, said Bruce Carter, chamber chief executive officer.

Adopting a similar 10-year strategy here would get chronically homeless – people with disabilities, mental illness and addictions problems – into special housing where they can get the support services they need.

Just back from the Canadian Chamber's policy debates in Ontario, Carter said he thinks he's sold the 170,000-member Canadian Chamber of Commerce that it's a homeless answer worth considering.

With an estimated 20,000 homeless across Canada living in downtown alleys and in front of businesses, he said there's no denying "homelessness has become a huge problem for our businesses across the country."

But there's no national homeless policy in this country, said Carter, estimating it would cost about $500 million per year to implement an ICH-type strategy in this country.

Using Portland, Ore., as an example of how a city can reduce chronic homeless numbers by 60 per cent within the third year of its ICH plan, Carter said Portland found each person off the street saves the city $16,000 in reduced social costs. [To read about the Portland approach, Home Again - A 10-year plan to end homelessness in Portland and Multnomah County, Citizens Commission on Homelessness (December 2004), CLICK HERE (PDF).]

The cost saving would be similar if Victoria copied Portland's example – a $3.2 million saving per year if just 200 chronic homeless were removed from downtown Victoria streets, he said. [...] [Read more]

Source:
The Street Health Report 2007
Street Health, Toronto, 19 September 2007
Street Health is an innovative, community-based health care organization providing services to address a wide range of physical, mental and emotional needs for those who are homeless, poor and socially marginalized in Toronto.

STREET HEALTH ACTION PLAN
We hope that the findings of the The Street Health Report 2007 will be a call to action to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to address homelessness in Toronto.

Overall, homeless people in Toronto have much poorer health than the general population. Homeless people in our survey carry an alarmingly higher burden of many serious physical and mental health conditions. Three quarters suffer from at least one chronic or ongoing physical health condition. In the past year, more than half had experienced serious depression and one in ten had attempted suicide.

The health of homeless people in Toronto has deteriorated in the past 15 years. Many serious physical health problems have become more common, and new illnesses have emerged that disproportionately affect homeless people. The most important factors impacting the health of homeless people are the result of social policy decisions that have been made by our governments in the past 15 years, particularly the cuts to social assistance and the lack of investment in new affordable social housing.

Homelessness is a devastating and growing problem in Toronto. There is an urgent need to take action to:

• Address the poverty and inequality that underlies homelessness
• Improve access to affordable and appropriate housing
• Improve immediate living conditions for homeless people
• Improve access to health care and support for homeless people

Our action plan presents realistic solutions to immediately improve the health of homeless people and to ultimately end homelessness. [...] [p.50] [Read more]

	Homelessness is Not a Crime "It's constant. If you're sleeping somewhere, you get charged with trespassing. You're just trying to get out of the rain or something to keep dry. You get charged all the time." – Survey Respondent Since the mid 1990s, new by-laws, as well as changes to policing practices around existing by-laws, have been introduced that criminalize the activities of people who are homeless. Prohibiting people from sleeping in public places like Nathan Phillips Square, and fining people for activities like panhandling, loitering, and public drinking, has turned homeless people into criminals and made their lives even more difficult. A recent Montreal study of this issue, found that 72% of homeless people who were given tickets for sleeping in parks went to jail because they couldn't pay the fine.* An extensive examination of the relationship between homelessness and the criminal justice system can be found in Justice and Injustice: Homelessness, Crime, Victimization, and the Criminal Justice System**, a 2006 research study conducted by The John Howard Society of Toronto and the Centre for Urban and Community Studies at the University of Toronto. [p.45] [Read more] * Reseau d'Aide aux Personnes Seules et Itinerantes de Montreal (RAPSIM). 2006. Fermeture des parcs: Un geste inacceptable et inconsequent. Media Release 31 August 2006. Montreal: RAPSIM. Available at: http://www.rapsim.org/. ** Justice and Injustice: Homelessness, Crime, Victimization, and the criminal Justice System Sylvia Novac, Joe Hermer, Emily Paradis, and Amber Kellen. Research Paper 207 (November 2006) ISSN 0316-0068; ISBN 0-7727-14351-7 Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto with the John Howard Society of Toronto

Source:
Victoria Denied Injunction Against Homeless People
David Koch, The Martlet, Volume 15 Issue 33 (2007-09-07), in The Voice Magazine

Image Credit: Tent City Lawsuit Blog

VICTORIA (CUP) – Homeless people in Victoria have won a small victory in their upcoming Charter challenge to have their rights to sleep outside recognized.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has dismissed an application from the City of Victoria for a permanent injunction that would have restricted homeless people from setting up another tent city in a downtown park.

The application, which was rejected on Aug. 13, is a small victory in an ongoing campaign for homeless people's "right to sleep."

Irene Faulkner and Catherine Boies Parker, two lawyers working on the case, said that bylaws which make it illegal to sleep overnight in parks violate homeless people's rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They plan to challenge the constitutionality of those bylaws in September.

"The way things are standing right now, we'll be looking to move ahead with the trial on Sept. 4," Faulkner said. "This is great news on our side."

In a video posted on HomelessNation.org last month, Boies Parker said, "The underlying issue is the constitutionality of the bylaws that make it illegal to sleep outside."

Boies Parker and Faulkner argue that Victoria's laws deprive homeless people of security by preventing them from sleeping outside while the city that lacks shelter spaces. Section 7 of the Charter guarantees security of the person. They also said that the bylaws have a disproportionate effect on homeless people, violating their Section 15 right to equality before the law. [...] [Read more]

Additional articles and related decisions. [...]

• Tent_City_Lawsuit
  homelessnation.org
  • Lawyer Catherine Boies Parker - Lawsuit: Background
    Video
  • Lawyer Irene Faulkner
    Video: Call for "Tent City 2005" residents to participate
  • Anti-camping bylaw case delayed as B.C. intervenes
    Times Colonist (11 September 2007)
  • Homeless challenger gets his day in court
    Richard Watts, Times Colonist (10 September 2007)
  • A Small Victory for The Homeless of Victoria
    Lawyer Irene Faulkner, Video (2007-09-07)
• CITY BUCKS BYLAW TEST
  Keith Vass, Victoria News (5 Sep 2007)
• CAMPING GOES TO TRIAL
  homelessnation.org
• Canadian Courts Challenge The criminalization Of Homelessness
  Michael Dudley, Planetizen, (30 August 2006)
• Homeless Head to Court over Right to Sleep Outside
  Joan Delaney, Epoch Times Victoria Staff (25 August 2006)
• ACLU News: Victory in Homeless Rights Case: Ninth Circuit Decision Ends the criminalization of those who Sleep on the Street (14 April 2006)
  • Read the Jones v. City of Los Angeles decision
    (92 kb)

Follow-up:

Source: Lawyer Irene Faulkner Updates Case, homelessnation.org (2007-09-13)
Link added.

Lawyer Irene Faulkner Image Credit: Tent_City_Lawsuit, homelessnation.org, 2007-09-13 Click image to watch video

The Attorney General's office for British Columbia has intervened in the case against homeless people sleeping outside. Based on a City of Victoria bylaw an injunction was requested to end a tent city in Cridge Park in October 2005. This tent city followed 2 others, one on the lawn of the BC Legislature (Camp Campbell) and another in the orchard in front of St. Anne's Academy. Challenged on a constitutional basis the City of Victoria tried to back out of the case but a BC Supreme Court Judge denied a discontinuation applied for by the City. The Attorney General's office has requested a postponement claiming they have to get up to speed on the case. However, this case has been posted for 2 years and now will not likely appear in court until Spring 2008. Meanwhile homeless people across the nation have waited long enough. The city of Victoria has more than 1,200 homeless people or people at risk of being homeless as registered by a survey conducted by the Cool-Aid Society. (See: [Victoria Homeless Needs Survey 2007: A Pathway to Home: HOUSING FIRST – PLUS SUPPORTS]) Since the city only has 170 bed, mostly provided by charity organizations, there is nowhere for people to sleep. Therefore, a law that criminalizes sleeping outside, when there is nowhere else to sleep, is unconstitutional.

Source:
Police break up Victoria's tent city:
New bylaw rushed in after court rules earlier shelter ban was unconstitutional
Petti Fong, Western Canada Bureau Chief,
TheStar.com (18.10.08)

Vancouver–Days after a judge ruled that homeless people have a right to camp in Victoria's city parks, police moved in yesterday to break up a growing tent city near the provincial legislature.

Five people were arrested when some homeless campers refused to take down their tents.

Police were enforcing a new bylaw that doesn't prevent camping in public places, but tries to regulate it by only allowing camping overnight.

The new bylaw was quickly put into place after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled earlier in the week that Victoria's original bylaw, passed three years ago to prohibit erecting a shelter in a public place, was unconstitutional because there aren't enough shelters to house Victoria's homeless. While advocates for the homeless lauded the Tuesday ruling, municipal officials across Canada are watching the decision closely. Within hours of the ruling, tents started going up in Victoria's Beacon Hill Park near the legislature. Camps have since popped up in other city parks.

"The whole city is open," activist David Johnston, who is homeless himself, said yesterday before the police moved in. "Some of the more hard-core people are gathering here at Beacon Hill, but they're setting up tents everywhere."

Johnston joined other advocates for the homeless to successfully sue the city of Victoria three years ago after a tent city was forcibly taken down. [...]

Source:
Improving the Health of Canadians: Mental Health and Homelessness (2007)
CIHI - Canadian Institute for Health Information
Pages: 70
Date published: 30 August 2007
ISBN 978-1-55465-046-0 (PDF)

In Canada, over 10,000 people are homeless on any given night. People experiencing homelessness are at high risk for compromised mental health, mental illness, suicide and addictions. The pathways linking mental health and homelessness are interrelated. Mental health can be influenced by various individual, social, cultural, physical and socio-economic determinants. These factors can, in isolation or combination, be related to homelessness. Further, while various mental health issues can precede homelessness, others can develop or worsen with continued homelessness.

The Improving the Health of Canadians: Mental Health and Homelessness report provides an overview of the latest research, surveys and policy initiatives related to mental health and homelessness and, for the first time, presents data on hospital use by homeless Canadians. [...] [Read more]

Source:
SPECIAL ISSUE: Homelessness & Mental Illness
Volume 28, Numbers 3-4 / August, 2007
The Journal of Primary Prevention
Publisher Springer Netherlands
ISSN 0278-095X (Print) 1573-6547 (Online)
Pages 187-400
Subject Collection Medicine
SpringerLink Date: Wednesday, 18 July 2007

1. Welcome letter
   A. Kathryn Power, PDF (108 kb), HTML
2. Guest Editorial: The Promise of Homelessness Prevention
   Dawn Jahn Moses, Marilyn Kresky-Wolff, Ellen L. Bassuk and Paul Brounstein
   PDF (129 kb), HTML
3. The Need for Homelessness Prevention: A Doctor's View of Life and Death on the Streets
   James J. O'Connell, PDF (104 kb), HTML
4. Preventing Homelessness: A Consumer Perspective
   Kenneth R. Wireman, PDF (118 kb), HTML
5. Community-Wide Strategies for Preventing Homelessness: Recent Evidence
   Martha R. Burt, Carol Pearson and Ann Elizabeth Montgomery
   PDF (198 kb), HTML
6. The Role of Effective Discharge Planning in Preventing Homelessness
   Thomas E. Backer, Elizabeth A. Howard and Garrett E. Moran
   PDF (175 kb), HTML
7. Preventing Homelessness among Substance Users in Europe
   Joe Doherty and Maria Stuttaford
   PDF (206 kb), HTML
8. Housing First for Long-Term Shelter Dwellers with Psychiatric Disabilities in a Suburban County: A Four-Year Study of Housing Access and Retention
   Ana Stefancic and Sam Tsemberis
   PDF (255 kb), HTML
9. Sober Housing and Motivational Interviewing: The Treatment Access Project
   Deborah Fisk, Dave Sells and Michael Rowe
   PDF (169 kb), HTML
10. Critical Time Intervention: An Empirically Supported Model for Preventing Homelessness in High Risk Groups
    Daniel Herman, Sarah Conover, Alan Felix, Aman Nakagawa and Danika Mills
    PDF (195 kb), HTML
11. Outcomes of a Life Skills Intervention for Homeless Adults with Mental Illness
    Christine A. Helfrich and Louis F. Fogg
    PDF (184 kb), HTML
12. Family Contact and Housing Stability in a National Multi-Site Cohort of Homeless Adults with Severe Mental Illness
    Susan A. Pickett-Schenk, Judith A. Cook, Dennis D. Grey and Sarah B. Butler
    PDF (159 kb), HTML
13. Recognizing Work as a Priority in Preventing or Ending Homelessness
    Gary Shaheen and John Rio
    PDF (246 kb), HTML
14. Promoting Children's Mental Health in Family Supportive Housing: A Community–University Partnership for Formerly Homeless Children and Families
    Abigail H. Gewirtz, PDF (171 kb), HTML
15. Cognitive Impairments and the Prevention of Homelessness: Research and Practice Review
    Thomas Earl Backer and Elizabeth A. Howard
    PDF (177 kb), HTML
16. Closing a Front Door to Homelessness among Veterans
    James McGuire, PDF (147 kb), HTML

Source:
Small step for homeless
EDITORIAL, The Toronto Star, 18 July 2007 [Link added.]

Small step for homeless

An innovative program to find permanent housing for Toronto's most troubled homeless who live on the streets has proven to be a real success since it was launched two years ago and should be expanded.

Since Toronto City Council introduced the Streets to Homes program, permanent housing has been found for more than 1,200 people, of whom 87 per cent remain housed. A survey released this week of these formerly homeless people also found they are happier, healthier and rely less on emergency services like hospitals and ambulances.

The Streets to Homes program, based on a "housing first" strategy, is aimed at finding permanent housing for people instead of just focusing on improving services for them as they continue to live on the street. As well as finding homes for the homeless, the program provides extensive support to ensure they stay housed.

Although this small program has proven its worth, it cannot by itself end homelessness in Toronto and the surrounding 905 communities. A study last summer found nearly 1,000 people are sleeping on the street each night in Toronto and close to 4,000 are living in 63 homeless shelters. In addition, more than 67,000 people are on the waiting list for subsidized housing in Toronto alone. The average rent for a bachelor apartment in Toronto is about $750 a month, but the shelter portion of social assistance payments is only $325 a month.

Indeed, the homeless problem has grown worse in recent years. Cathy Crowe, a Toronto street nurse and author of a new book, Dying for a Home: Homeless Activists Speak Out, wrote this week in the Star that "there is no question that circumstances today, compared with 1998, when hundreds of organizations declared homelessness a national disaster, are more catastrophic."

The lack of affordable housing has been exacerbated by Ottawa's decision in the late 1990s to download the cost of providing subsidized housing onto provincial governments, which in turn told cash-strapped municipalities to put up much of the costs.

Clearly, more help is needed from Ottawa and Queen's Park. Other jurisdictions are tackling this problem in big and small ways with a spirit of co-operation between all levels of government.

And as the small Streets to Homes program has proven, even small initiatives can pay huge dividends for the less fortunate in this city.

Source:
The true cost of homelessness
Gordon Laird, Chumir Foundation :: The True Cost of Homelessness,
The Toronto Star (26 June 2007)

For many homeless people, the winter of 2007 was a dark time – not only were many emergency shelters filled beyond capacity during cold snaps, but housing vacancy rates actually plunged in many cities, leaving growing numbers of Canadians with few options.

The coldest, deadliest nights of the year are now behind us. But the cost of homelessness isn't. According to a new report from the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership, Shelter: Homelessness in a Growth Economy, homelessness is costing Canadian taxpayers $4.5 billion to $6 billion a year.

Canada in 2007 collectively spends more managing homelessness than it spends on international development ($4.1 billion) or on annual debt reduction ($3 billion). In fact, the cost of homelessness in Canada is comparable to the cost of the $4.35 billion 2006 GST tax cut and the entire 2007 environment plan on climate change, fresh water and wildlife conservation.

Since the early 1990s, Canada's main response to homelessness has been to build new emergency shelter beds and fund front-line services to help contain and warehouse a growing pool of homeless Canadians.

It hasn't worked. Welfare services, municipal services, provincial health-care systems and the non-profit sector have been left to take up the slack for the estimated 300,000 homeless people as well as the upwards of 2.7 million low-income Canadians who now face housing affordability problems.

This nation's decade of relative inaction on homelessness, from 1993 to 2004, cost Canadian taxpayers an estimated $49.5 billion, across all services and jurisdictions.

All levels of government have shown a lack of leadership. Most provincial governments, for example, inadequately fund welfare, making it difficult, if not impossible, for recipients to find a place to live in our soaring real estate markets. Some of these same people then wind up in homeless shelters funded by all three levels of government. Taxpayers are paying at least twice and still we have homelessness.

While Canada's economy is booming, poverty is actually increasing. It was assumed that the economic boom would benefit all Canadians, but the evidence shows that the income gap is actually growing and affordable housing is harder to find. CIBC World Markets predicts that the average Canadian housing price will double by 2026.

Poverty is now the leading cause of homelessness in Canada, trumping substance abuse and mental illness. Canada's "new homeless" – families, women, students, immigrants, aboriginals – are simply low-income Canadians who need affordable housing.

Many governments, both here and abroad, are championing the notion of "Housing First," that is, immediately addressing housing needs through rent supplements. It has finally been recognized that homeless shelters are effective only as a short-term measure.

Housing each homeless person saves both taxpayers and government money and frees up resources to invest elsewhere. In Toronto, for example, taxpayers pay 2.5 times as much for homeless shelters as for rent supplements.

Rather than tolerate failure, Canada should consider the kind of integrated, results-oriented "Housing First" approach currently underway in the United States and Britain. Ideally, homelessness, affordable housing and poverty reduction would be integrated into a national strategy. This would require high-level leadership from Canada's federal cabinet, as well as provincial and municipal participation.

Some solutions are obvious. Possibly the best way to stem homelessness is to relieve low-income Canadians from making hard choices between buying food or paying for shelter. At the very least, Canada should index welfare, shelter and social assistance to inflation. If Newfoundland, one of Canada's least affluent governments, can do it, why can't everyone else?

We should develop a new, affordable housing strategy that develops market and non-market and
rent-to-own units. We should build more transitional and supportive housing for higher-needs Canadians. We should explore alternatives such as independent housing trusts, mixed-income co-operatives, even non-traditional interim shelters. Municipalities must reform their zoning bylaws to allow for basement suites.

Canada can no longer afford homelessness. Left unattended, circumstances will only become worse for many of those currently homeless. It is much more fiscally responsible to engage homelessness and invest directly than to neglect it.

Gordon Laird is media fellow at the Calgary-based Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership.

Source:
Province To Protect 996 Affordable Housing Units
Office of the Premier,
ministry of Forests and Range and minister Responsible for Housing
ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
3 April 2007

VANCOUVER – The Province is funding 996 more units of supportive housing to reduce homelessness, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today. The $80-million investment includes the purchase of 15 buildings in Vancouver, Victoria and Burnaby to protect affordable housing. The Province launched a major housing initiative last fall, Housing Matters BC, and committed additional new funding in Budget 2007. Today's announcement secures important affordable housing, will help reduce homelessness, and gives the Province and local governments more tools to help those who cannot help themselves...
See Backgrounder.

Source:
TO 2007 operating budget: Housing and homelessness cuts
Michael Shapcott, The Wellesley Institute Blog (26 March 2007)

Three governmental budgets have been delivered over the past seven days, and the hundreds of thousands of low, moderate and middle-income Torontonians seeking affordable housing have been left out of all three. The federal budget of March 19 was entirely silent on new affordable housing spending; the provincial budget of March 22 merely re-announced previously allocated federal housing dollars; and the municipal budget of March 26 proposes cuts to local housing and homelessness spending.

The federal government says housing is primarily a provincial and municipal issue. Over the past two decades, it has cut housing funding and downloaded programs. The Ontario government, following suit, has cut provincial housing funding and downloaded programs to municipalities. Provincial housing spending has been flat-lined in recent years. Municipal politicians in Toronto call federal and provincial politicians "dead-beats" and say it's all their fault – even as local officials cut housing and homelessness funding.

Meanwhile, the hundreds of thousands of Torontonians trapped in inadequate or unaffordable homes, the tens of thousands in shelters and the uncounted thousands of "hidden homeless" are left to watch federal, provincial and municipal politicians squabble and pass the buck and point an accusing finger at each other. [...] [Read more]

Source:
Vancouver Homelessness Funding Model: More than just a warm bed
Prepared for The City of Vancouver, by Dobell Advisory Services Inc and DCF Consulting Ltd.,
5 March 2007, Ken Dobell

...The cost of addressing this issue is significant. The value of land to be committed by the City is approximately $50 million. In 2014, when all of the sites are fully developed, the annual City tax forgiveness would be $1.1 million and the annual incremental cost (including rent subsidies and support costs) to the province for the renovated SRO hotel rooms and new supportive housing units would be about $48 million. It is hoped that the addition of corporate, philanthropic and citizen contributions to be pooled with funding from other sources will help make raising sufficient funds to meet this challenge possible.

The solution of supportive housing requires sustained commitments from the City, the Province, and the community to provide the necessary financial resources and to build longterm capacity to address and manage homelessness and the problems that arise from it. It is noteworthy that these proposals directly support the Project Civil City initiative of the City of Vancouver, and will contribute significantly to achievement of the goals of that program. While the cost of addressing homelessness is high, the financial and ethical cost of leaving individuals homeless is higher. A workable and sustainable solution will not only improve the lives of the homeless, it will also bring financial and social benefits to the whole community. [...] (pp.2-3)

• City offered radical plan for homeless
• Homelessness plan for Vancouver gets green light

Source:
Seven Solutions to Homelessness
Each is working somewhere else, and will save money and lives here.
Monte Paulsen, The Tyee, 8 January 2007

Homelessness is not necessary. Unlike most other urban social problems, homelessness is something policymakers actually know how to address. The U.S. and Britain have slashed their rates of homelessness during the past decade. But in Canada, homelessness is on the rise; and in the Vancouver region, the official count of homeless persons almost doubled from 1,121 souls in 2002 to 2,174 in 2005.

Homelessness is not cheap. Provincial taxpayers spend up to $40,000 annually per homeless person, according a 2001 study. That money is spent on police calls, hospital visits and other emergency social services. If there are only 2,174 homeless people in the Vancouver area (an official figure everyone in the field assumes is well below the actual total) and if each person uses $40,000 in services (a figure that did not include all local services), then British Columbia taxpayers are spending $86.9 million a year just to help people living on the streets stay alive. [...] [Read more]

Idea One: Trade Fairs for the Homeless
Idea Two: Raise the Welfare Rates
Idea Three: Train Young Workers
Idea Four: Spread the Love Around
(Help allay resistance from not-in-my-backyard
neighbourhood groups.)
Idea Five: Buy a Few Hotels
Idea Six: Give Addicts Time to Heal
Idea Seven: Bring Governments Together

Source:
Canada's New Government Commits $526 Million to Combat Homelessness and Extend Funding for Renovation Programs
The Government of Canada, Human Resources and Social Development
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, December 19, 2006-Today, the Honourable Diane Finley, minister of Human Resources and Social Development, announced $526 million for the new Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), a strategy aimed at combating homelessness in communities across Canada and extending CMHC's renovation programs.

The new Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) will be funded at $270 million over two years.

The new Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) includes:

• Consulting with stakeholders from the private and non-profit sectors and listening to their concerns;
• Partnering with the provinces and territories in the new year to determine how funding will be effectively allocated across Canada, thereby addressing the unique needs of many Canadian communities similar to the Canada-Quebec Agreement model;
• Providing greater access to support networks appropriate to individual needs of homeless people (such as skills training, health and substance abuse treatment) to help them attain self-sufficiency and full participation in Canadian society;
• Requiring that funding be specifically targeted at the development of transitional and supportive housing; and
• Tracking progress in the prevention and reduction of homelessness.
• [Read more]
   Read the Media Backgrounder — CMHC Renovation Programs

Source:
DEAD END STREETS: Vancouver's losing struggle with homelessness
A very filthy room of one's own
Mark Hume, Globe and Mail, 5 December 2006

Even with somewhere to stay, life in the Downtown Eastside is rough, MARK HUME writes

...Homelessness is a problem in every Canadian city, but in the Greater Vancouver Area, where there are now 2,174 people living on the street, including 22 children with their families, the tableau of poverty is laid out block after bleak block.

Here on the dead-end streets, where Canada's homelessness crisis takes on a shocking form and proportion, the problem has become impossible to ignore.

How did it get this way? How did this beautiful, laid-back city, where the climate is softened by winds from the South Pacific, become a place of such despair for so many?

The answer that emerges from interviews with poverty advocates, officials and front-line workers is disturbing. The homelessness crisis, which has become such a visual blight that it is hurting tourism and leading to convention cancellations, didn't befall the city like some kind of natural disaster. Instead, it was largely caused by government policy. [...]

In 1996, the Canada Assistance Plan ended after 30 years of guiding transfer payments from Ottawa -- worsening the situation. CAP had tied the provinces to providing welfare support to people based on need, but provinces were then free to put restrictions on welfare and they quickly did, disqualifying many. [...]

...Down and out, for the count
Nobody knows how many homeless people there are in Canada but estimates range from 150,000 to 250,000. Homelessness remains a largely undefined problem because no reliable method for counting people who live on the streets has been determined. Although several cities conduct counts, not all follow the same methodology, leading to data that can't be compared. Ottawa, for example, has results that indicate it has more homeless people than either Vancouver or Toronto, which have much larger populations. Some jurisdictions use point in time counts, which aim to determine the number of homeless people in a geographic area on a given day. Others use period counts, annualizing the numbers to determine the total number of individuals in a given year who are homeless. Some counts rely only on people staying in shelters; others exclude detox units, recovery houses or hospitals. Some don't include emergency shelters for abused women. Counting people who live hidden, under bridges or in alley ways, and those who are often on the move and don't follow a regular timetable is a difficult task. [...] [Read complete article]

In 1999, Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) was launched as the centerpiece of the National Homelessness Initiative. It was created "in an attempt to create a more integrated and inclusive approach to homelessness in Canada."

Along with providing financial support to communities, the SCPI encourages them to work together with provincial, territorial and municipal governments and the private and voluntary sectors to strengthen existing capacity and develop new responses to homelessness. Communities are allocated a maximum funding level which must be matched from other community sources (i.e.: fundraising, local sponsors, etc.) and requires communities to explain how their activities will continue once SCPI funding ends. Projects funded support priority areas identified through a community planning process... [Read more]

Source:
Toronto's most vulnerable left out in the cold
if federal commitment to homeless initiatives ends
City of Toronto (22 November 2006)

Toronto's most vulnerable left out in the cold if federal commitment to homeless initiatives ends.

On National Housing Day, Mayor David Miller makes public a list of 46 projects that are slated for closure as funding deadline looms.

Homeless teenagers seeking to reconnect with their families; young Aboriginal mothers and their children needing transitional housing; men and women honing employment skills in the hopes of becoming housed and independent; people who are in desperate need of permanent housing. These are just some of the Torontonians whose lives are about to take an even sharper turn for the worse.

The federal government's Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI), a cornerstone of the City's strategy to end homelessness for the past six years, is scheduled to end March 31, 2007 and nothing appears to be in place to stop this.

Mayor David Miller is taking the opportunity on National Housing Day, Wednesday, Nov. 22, to make public the complete list of 46 SCPI-funded programs that will have to start winding down service in December in anticipation of the March 31 deadline, unless other funding can be found.

"The demise of these highly successful programs will have a profound and highly visible impact on some of our most vulnerable citizens," said Mayor Miller. "Unless the federal government immediately renews funding for homeless services in cities across the country - even on an interim basis - the momentum that we have built up to end homelessness in Toronto will come to a dead stop." [Read more]

SCPI Funded Service Related Projects Affected by SCPI Deadline of March 31, 2007 [PDF]

Source:
Canada's Homeless Left out in the Cold: Growing homeless populations across the country means a dangerous shortage of shelters, beds on winter nights
Joan Delaney, Epoch Times Victoria Staff, 3 November 2006

Homelessness is on the rise in almost all Canadian cities, and those on the front lines of addressing the problem lay the blame squarely on the fact that Canada no longer has a fully-funded federal housing program. Senior-level housing programs were cancelled by the federal government in 1993. In the years that followed, most provincial governments (with the notable exception of Quebec) followed suit by cutting funding to provincial low-income housing. [...]

...In Victoria, which has about 700 homeless and not enough shelter beds to go around, the homeless situation prompted renewed concern recently when a U.S. company cancelled a conference in the city, citing too many panhandlers and street people as the reason. Premier Gordon Campbell has said his government will increase welfare rates in the February budget. The welfare shelter rate in B.C., at $325 a month for a single person, hasn't been increased in 12 years.

Surveys show that Aboriginal people are disproportionately represented among Canada's homeless population and are more likely to be "street homeless" than living in shelters. In Winnipeg, it's estimated that Aboriginals comprise up to 70 percent of the homeless population. The Manitoba Urban Native Housing Association, which has 965 units in Winnipeg and 1,595 throughout the entire province, has 4,000 families on a waiting list. [...] [Read more]

Source:
Cities, advocates rush to find solutions as homelessness worsens in Alberta
Shannon Montgomery, Canadian Press, 3 November 2006

...Boomtown Alberta is drawing thousands of people from across the country, many of whom can't find anywhere to live. Those who can are making it more and more difficult for others with lower incomes, or who are on welfare or disability pensions, to find a home.

In a province that trumpets itself as the land of promise and plenty, thousands - many with jobs and enough money for a home - are left out in the cold.

In Calgary and Edmonton, some shelters routinely turn away close to 100 people a night. Last week, police had to be called in to calm 82 people who became desperate and angry when told there was no room in the Calgary Drop-In Centre.

Both cities have introduced last-minute emergency solutions, but the president of the Alberta Housing Coalition says it's too little, too late. [...] [Read more]

Solving the Housing Crisis
Report on Affordable Housing in Vancouver
Carnegie Community Action Project (June 2006)

[...] Invest in Bricks and Mortar Social Housing
Far from being a "failed social experiment", bricks and mortar social housing provides stable homes for individuals and families with low income. Initiatives like the Provincial Housing Program provide both infrastructure for the community and an asset for all British Columbians. It is abundantly clear that the private market has failed to provide adequate housing choices for all residents. Only continued investment in bricks and mortar housing and an expansion of supported housing by community groups will allow all British Columbians access to a safe and secure home.

Increase Income Assistance Rates
Increasing income assistance rates will allow low income individuals and families to achieve a level of dignity and housing tenure security. Clearly, $510 a month is not enough to secure safe housing, eat nutritious food, and look for work. Welfare rates with the shelter portion need to be raised by at least 50%. Vancouver's Homeless Action Plan, approved unanimously by City Council in 2005, made similar recommendations for shelter rates. Increasing the buying power of low income households will allow tenants to generate economic activity in their neighbourhoods and facilitate property maintenance by landlords. [...] [Read more]

See also:
Affordable Housing Policy Brief
Carnegie Community Action Project, Carnegie Centre Community Association

Housing Market Info & Stats

The electronic editions of CMHC's standardized national suite of publications are now free. Clients can view, print, download or subscribe to future editions of CMHC's popular Housing Market Outlook, Housing Now, and Rental Market series of reports, as well as a number of other statistical reports and tables.
For example:

• Rental Market Reports - Major Centres
  Rental Market Reports covering major centres provide in-depth analysis and the trends in the market from the Fall Rental Market Survey results. New in 2006 a report for Kingston is available and Abbotsford is covered within the Vancouver report. To complement existing information, in 2006 CMHC expanded its coverage of the rental market in a number of major centres to include the secondary rental market. Rental condominium apartment information is available for the Québec, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver markets. Information on rental single, semi-detached, and duplex units is available for Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver in 2006 and will be extended to include nine additional centres in 2007.
• Rental Market Reports - Canada and Provincial Highlights
• Rental Market Statistics
• Preliminary Housing Start Data
• Housing Information Monthly
• Monthly Housing Statistics
• Canadian Housing Statistics
• Atlantic, Québec, Ontario, Prairie and Territories, British Columbia
• Housing & the Community
• and much more...

Source:
Concluding Observations of the Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights — CANADA
UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
Thirty-sixth session, 1–19 May 2006; p.5.

22. The Committee expresses concern about the significantly low proportion of unemployed workers eligible for receiving insurance benefits, and notes that the State party has not provided detailed responses to the Committee's previous concerns on this issue. The Committee notes with concern that in 2001, only 39 per cent of unemployed Canadians were eligible for benefits; that in some Provinces such as Ontario, eligibility rates are even lower; that the number of youth receiving employment insurance benefits has decreased; that migrant workers and many parttime workers, predominantly women, contribute to the plan but have great difficulties in accessing benefits; and that the replacement rate of income which has been reduced to 55 per cent in 1997, is the lowest ever.
23. The Committee, while noting the information provided by the State party of its willingness to ensure that low-income working families do not receive fewer benefits than those receiving social assistance, is deeply concerned by the discriminatory impact of the National Child Benefit "clawback system", on the poorest families in Canada, in particular single-motherled families.
24. The Committee notes with concern that low-income families, single-mother-led families and Aboriginal and African-Canadian families, are over-represented in families whose children are relinquished to foster care. The Committee is also concerned that women continue to be forced to relinquish their children into foster care because of inadequate housing.
25. The Committee regrets that domestic violence as a specific offence has not been included in the criminal code.
26. The Committee notes with concern that women are prevented from leaving abusive relationships due to the lack of affordable housing and inadequate assistance.
    
    
27. The Committee notes with concern that about 7.4 % of the population, amounting to about 2.3 million people, suffer from food insecurity in the State party, that about 40 percent of food bank users are children and young people, and that about 51 percent of food bank users while receiving social assistance benefits in 2005, still had to resort to food banks because of the insufficient level of these benefits.
28. The Committee, while welcoming the National Homelessness Initiative and the adoption of numerous measures on housing, regrets that the information provided was not sufficient enough to assess the results of such measures. In particular the Committee is concerned that the estimated number of homeless persons in Canada still ranges from 100,000 to 250,000. The Committee, while welcoming the decrease in the proportion of households with core housing need, notes with concern that in 2001 such households still represented about 13,7 to 16 percent of all households. The Committee is further concerned that shelter allowances and social assistance rates continue to fall far below average rental costs, and that waiting lists for subsidized housing remain very long, as for example in Hamilton and Montreal.

Media Summaries:
Canada failing to care for poor, disadvantaged: UN report
CBC News, 22 May 2006

UN slams Canada for abandoning its poor
Steven Edwards, with files from Carly Weeks, CanWest News Service, 23 May 2006

Source:
OUT OF THE SHADOWS AT LAST:
Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada
The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, May 2006

Location Online: PDF, pp.1-282

• PART I: THE HUMAN FACE OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND ADDICTION
  • Chapter 1: Voices of People Living with Mental Illness
  • Chapter 2: Voices of Family Caregivers
• PART II: OVERVIEW
  • Chapter 3: Vision and Principles
  • Chapter 4: Legal Issues
• PART III: SERVICE ORGANIZATION AND DELIVERY
  • Chapter 5: Toward a Transformed Delivery System
  • Chapter 6: Children and Youth
  • Chapter 7: Seniors
  • Chapter 8: Workplace and Employment
  • Chapter 9: Addiction Services
  • Chapter 10: Self-Help and Peer Support
• PART IV: RESEARCH AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
  • Chapter 11: Research, Ethics and Privacy
  • Chapter 12: Telemental Health in Canada

Location Online: PDF, pp.285-484, plus Appendices, pp.I-LVII

• PART V: FEDERAL LEADERSHIP
  • Chapter 13: The Federal Direct Role
  • Chapter 14: Aboriginal Peoples of Canada
• PART VI: STRATEGIC PLANNING AND INTER-GOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION
  • Chapter 15: Mental Health Promotion and Mental Illness Prevention
  • Chapter 16: National Mental Health Initiatives
• EPILOGUE — THE HUMAN FACE OF A TRANSFORMED SYSTEM
• APPENDIX A: RECOMMENDATIONS [118 in all, with page references]
• APPENDIX B: LIST OF WITNESSES -FIRST SESSION OF THE 38TH PARLIAMENT (OCTOBER 4, 2004 — NOVEMBER 29, 2005)
• APPENDIX C: LIST OF WITNESSES -THIRD SESSION OF THE 37TH PARLIAMENT (FEBRUARY 2, 2004 — MAY 23, 2004)
• APPENDIX D: LIST OF WITNESSES -SECOND SESSION OF THE 37TH PARLIAMENT (SEPTEMBER 30, 2002 — NOVEMBER 12, 2003)

Additional References:

• Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction: Overview of Policies and Programs in Canada
  Interim Report of The Standing Senate Committee On Social Affairs, Science And Technology, Report 1, November 2004
  [PDF]
• Mental Health Policies and Programs in Selected Countries
  Interim Report of The Standing Senate Committee On Social Affairs, Science And Technology, Report 2, November 2004
  [PDF]
• Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction: Issues and Options for Canada
  Interim Report of The Standing Senate Committee On Social Affairs, Science And Technology, Report 3, November 2004
  [PDF]

Source:
HIGHLIGHTS REPORT:
Cycles of Homelessness: Understanding Eviction Prevention and its Relation to Homelessness
Acacia Consulting & Research (March 2006)

METHODOLOGY
The study took place in the urban regions of Greater Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), Ottawa, Ontario and Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), Nova Scotia. It relied on a review of published and unpublished literature on eviction and eviction prevention; focus groups and interviews with 91 households with a history of eviction; key informant interviews with a network of frontline workers and experts in the area of eviction, and dissemination of project results through professional associations, and local networks of community organizations...

PRINCIPLE CONCLUSIONS
The experiences of study participants confirm much of the existing knowledge regarding the characteristics of tenants facing eviction. However, the research indicates gaps in what is known about the experiences of certain vulnerable groups of tenants, and a need to question the assumption of a straightforward link between eviction and homelessness. The following three themes reflect the most significant findings of the study.

• Eviction prevention Cannot be equated with homelessness prevention.
• Threat of eviction is an important and useful indicator of crisis.
• Making a real impact on homelessness requires new public policy and investment.

Source:
Report on Canada to the United Nations Committee
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights —
The Right to an Adequate Standard of Living in Hamilton
Chabriol Colebatch, Craig Foye, Deirdre Pike
Income Security Working Group - Human Rights Committee, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
[Real the Report online] | [Download the PDF]

The following excerpt indicates but does not include footnotes in the original document.

Pages 5-6:

2.2	The Facts
2.2.1	Many people in Hamilton depend on provincial social assistance programs for survival. As of September 2005, Hamilton has approximately 24,000 persons attempting to subsist on the Ontario Works ("OW") social assistance program, the primary provincial social security program for individuals and families.9 Less than 4000 of these individuals are single person beneficiaries, the rest are families.10 This represents well over 10,000 children on this program.11 Hamilton also has approximately 19,494 individuals on the Ontario Disability Support Program12 ("ODSP"), the primary provincial social security program for the disabled, and 2,766 of those are children.13
2.2.2	Given the numbers on social assistance, it is imperative that social assistance rates provide an adequate standard of living. Yet social assistance rates still fall far below the LICO poverty line. For instance, a single person on Ontario Works receives $6,432 annually, amounting to only 38% of the poverty line.14 Families fare little better. A single parent receives $13,272 annually from Ontario Works (62% of the poverty line), while benefit rates for couple families with 2 children amount to only 55% of the poverty line".
2.2.3	We include below a table from the most recent report on local poverty from the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, showing the troubling inadequacy of Ontario Works social assistance rates when compared with the costs of securing housing and the costs of food:

Emphasis added. Household Type Monthly Income Security Benefits Monthly Cost Of Healthy Food Basket Average Monthly Rent Remainder Single Male (25 to 49 yrs) $536 $187 $508 (bachelor apt.) - $159 Lone Parent Female (25 to 49 yrs.), with one male child (10 to 12) $1,106 $212 $751 (2 bdrm. apt.) $143 Family of four – Man and Woman (25 to 49 yrs.), with two children, girl (10 to 12), and boy (7 to 9) $1,452 $514 $900 (3 bdrm. apt.) $38 Source: Monthly Ontario Works benefit rates – City of Hamilton Public Health & Community Services Department, 2004 Source: Cost of a nutritious food basket – City of Hamilton Public Health & Community Services Department, 2004 Source: Average Monthly rents for Hamilton – Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 2004 Source: National Child Benefit & Child Tax Credit rates – Government of Canada, 2004

[Real the Report online] | [Download the PDF]

Source:
City's first homeless survey cheered, jeered
March 2006, CBC News [Full Text]

TORONTO — After years of arguments between politicians and activists on both sides, Toronto is set to conduct its first-ever census of the city's homeless population on Wednesday.

More than 1,700 volunteers are to undertake the one-night, $90,000 survey as the city attempts to find out how many people are living on the streets in Canada's largest centre, and what kind of services they need.

Opponents of the census say it's unnecessary because the "needs" of the homeless are obvious (they need housing), and that any attempt to count street people will fail due to a number of factors, including an expected lack of co-operation from those being surveyed.

As well, others say, there's a large number of uncountable "hidden" homeless, also called "houseless," who often double-up in other people's homes, or who are in temporary spaces looking for something permanent.

One such organization, the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, has asked faith-based groups, community workers and others not to participate. [See: Position on City of Toronto's 'Street Needs Assessment' aka "The Count".]

Advocates say the survey is needed to understand the depth of the problem, and some add that it will serve to dismiss claims by some politicians that the homeless problem in Toronto is way overestimated.

The city says it has representatives from 34 community agencies and various municipal divisions involved through the Street Outreach Steering Committee.

Findings from the survey will be sent to the Community Services Committee and then on to full council by July.

Similar surveys have been conducted in Calgary and Vancouver, and in both cases the number of homeless was found to be higher than expected.

Follow-up...

Source:
TORONTO DISASTER RELIEF COMMITTEE
 Campaigns and Projects > Street Count

The City of Toronto held a "Street Needs Assessment" on April 19th. TDRC has a long history of being opposed to this method of counting homeless people.

The results of the count were released on Friday, June 23rd. The report went to Community Services where numerous amendments were debated and lost, and then on to Council at the end of July were it was approved. None of the amendments were revived.

The Street Needs Assessment found that 5052 people were homeless on April 19th including:

• 3649 (72%) in shelters
• 818 (16%) on the street
• 275 (5%) in health care or treatment facilities
• 171 (3%) in Violence Against Women facilities
• 139 (3%) in correctional facilities

We believe that these numbers must be treated as a snapshot, they do not present a full and accurate representation of all homeless people. We know that many were missed that night due to the survey methodology. The numbers don't even start to take into account the hidden homeless population.

The City's Full report is available here.

Michael Shapcott's recent backgrounder on the street counts - which includes such information as Edmonton and Vancouver's significantly higher numbers despite a lower population - is available here.

Here is some background information to help you gain a better understanding of the issues:

• TDRC's Position Paper on the Street Count - available for download in both WORD and PDF
• Cathy Crowe's April Newsletter on the Count
• Michael Shapcott's deputation to Community Services Committee in opposition to the count.
• David Hulchanski's policy paper on Counting the Homeless.

See also...

Shared Learnings on Homelessness — In partnership with Direct Energy and RBC Foundation, Shared Learnings provides practical tools, resources and information sharing for frontline staff, managers and volunteers working to address the problem of homelessness in their communities. Find out about initiatives in cities, towns and rural areas across Canada. You can link to others working within the homelessness sector, share your experiences and learn from theirs.  Counting the Homeless (May 2006) Calgary Source: The City of Calgary — Research on Affordable Housing and Homelessness 2006 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary (Full Report) (711 KB) 2006 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary: Executive Summary (43 KB) FAQ about the 2006 Count of Homeless Persons (39 KB)  2004 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary (Full Report) (1.6 MB) 2004 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary: Executive Summary (114 KB) 2002 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary (241 KB) 2000 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary (92 KB) 1998 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary (22 KB) 1996 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary (69 KB) 1994 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary (49 KB) Vancouver Source: Greater Vancouver Regional District (GRVD) - Regional Homelessness Program - Research Data Greater Vancouver Homeless Count 2005 Homeless Count Report - September 2005 (1,274KB) 2005 Homeless Count Bulletin - September 2005 (140KB) 2002 Research Project on Homelessness In Greater Vancouver - Volume 1, 2, 3 (841KB) 2002 Research Project on Homelessness In Greater Vancouver - Volume 1, Executive Summary (100KB) 2002 Research Project on Homelessness In Greater Vancouver - Volume 2 (675KB) 2002 Research Project on Homelessness In Greater Vancouver - Volume 3 (1261KB) Census Bulletin: At-Risk of Homelessness - April 2005 (65KB) Homelessness Research Virtual Library Edmonton Sources: Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing City of Edmonton Out in the Cold: A Count of Homeless Persons in Edmonton (October 2006) [1.03GB] Questions & Answers A Count of Homeless Persons in Edmonton, Tuesday, October 17, 2006 Turnaways at homeless shelters and treatment centres rise a whopping 137%: Close to 20% increase in 2006 Homeless Count numbers News Release, 8 November 2006 A Survey of Homeless Youth in Edmonton (March 2006) [108KB] A Report Prepared for Boyle Street Community Services, By Carlee Crerar Urban Nomads in Edmonton: Moving as a Coping Strategy (March 2006) [129KB] A Report Prepared for Boyle Street Community Services, By Janelle Marie Baker A Count of Homeless Persons in Edmonton (October 2004) 2003 EDMONTON HOMELESSNESS STUDY A Count of Homeless Persons in Edmonton (October 2002) A Count of Homeless Persons in Edmonton (September 2000)

Source:
DENIED ASSISTANCE: Closing the Front Door on Welfare in BC
Bruce Wallace, Seth Klein and Marge Reitsma-Street
March 2006, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
See also: Summary — Denied Assistance: Closing the Front Door on Welfare in BC

The new eligibility rules have led to an increase in homelessness, as evidenced in both Vancouver and Victoria. The City of Vancouver's Homelessness Action Plan found that the number of homeless doubled between 2001 and 2004, and notes that, "In 2001, about 15 per cent of the street homeless were not on welfare. By early 2004, this had increased to 50 per cent, and by summer 2004, more than 75 per cent of the street homeless reported they are not on welfare." Similarly, a study of Victoria-based social service agencies reports major increases in demand for all types of emergency assistance, including food and shelter... [Read the Full Report]