Today’s news release on the announcement of the redesign federal homelessness program,
Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, is now available on Employment and Social Development Canada’s website.
The backgrounder is available here: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2018/06/backgrounder-reaching-home.html
As you will see, Reaching Home reinforces the current community based approach and permits far more flexibility with regard to funding to best meet community needs effective on April 1, 2019. While it continues to support and prioritize Housing First strategies, the Housing First spending limits are eliminated so that communities can direct funds to best meet the needs of their most vulnerable. In addition, prevention programs are now possible. Not only, the expectation is for concrete actions to meet the goal of reducing homelessness, with outcome based reporting linked to a national data strategy. The funding builds upon the current program (Homelessness Partnering Strategy) and doubles the funding for indigenous populations. It expands the designated communities (currently 61) through a proposal call expected this fall. There will also be an additional rural and remote funding stream that will include the three territories. All of this expansion is based on new funding; the current budgets will be maintained and a decision re additional funding for current budgets will be determined this fall.
For further information:
The Final Report of the Advisory Committee on Homelessness regarding the Homelessness Partnering Strategy can be found with this link:
