Ottawa funding program to help reduce homelessness in 38 communities

It’s part of a campaign by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, which aims to get 20,000 of the country’s most vulnerable people off the street in 20 communities by July 2020.

Tim Richter, president of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, said the “by-name” list allows agencies to track the number of people “coming to homelessness or returning to homelessness.”

The project was initially tested in eight communities: Toronto, the Peel Region, Lanark County, Hamilton, Windsor and Waterloo Region in Ontario; Edmonton and Whitehorse, Yukon.

The new federal money expands the pilot project to an additional 30 communities.

Edmonton officials say the project has helped to prioritize their work.

“To solve a problem, you really need to understand it,” said Susan McGee, chief executive officer of Homeward Trust, a community-based organization in the city.

“It’s very much focused on who is homeless in your community.”

McGee said identifying those people by name helps to understand their housing needs and other services they need.

“The whole objective here is about creating urgency and giving communities the tools they need to bend the curve on chronic homelessness,” Richter added.

The federal government, as part of its national housing strategy, has announced a total investment of $2.2 billion to fight homelessness over 10 years.

Colette Derworiz, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Ottawa funding program to help reduce homelessness in 38 communities

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