Tab A: Opening Remarks
Tab A: Opening Remarks
Speaking notes for The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
Ottawa, ON
May 18, 2023
Hello.
Everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home, but as we've seen in communities across our country, far too many Canadians face the daily, unacceptable reality of homelessness.
Homelessness affects every community in Canada. It is a grim reality for many Canadians, affecting individuals, families, women fleeing violence, youth, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities.
It preys on the most vulnerable among us, casting a shadow over their lives.
Homelessness ultimately has an impact on all of us, it leaves an enduring mark on all of our communities. As a government, we have recognized this and have heeded the call to action.
The Government of Canada recognizing the urgency of the matter, has responded through the Reaching Home program, Canada's Homelessness Strategy.
Launched in 2019, the program committed $2.2 billion to address homelessness across the country, a commitment that has since doubled to $4 billion over nine years.
Budgets 2021 and 2022 strengthened this initiative with over $1.1 billion in new investments, to further empower communities so they can better address the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Reaching Home is the embodiment of hope – a community-based program that empowers urban, Indigenous, rural, and remote communities to help them address local homelessness needs.
The Government of Canada supports communities in establishing Coordinated Access, an integrated systems-based approach that prioritizes assistance for those in greatest need to ensure they find suitable housing and comprehensive services.
The impact of Reaching Home is tangible, felt within our communities every day. In just the first three years, Reaching Home has funded over 5,000 projects, helping to place more than 46,000 people experiencing homelessness into more stable housing.
Moreover, over 87,000 individuals in need benefited from prevention and shelter diversion services through the program's support.
As part of the Government of Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reaching Home, with increased funding, created over 26,000 temporary accommodation spaces.
These temporary spaces provided crucial shelter for Canadians, offering a lifeline during a time of social distancing. In total, more than 214,000 temporary accommodation placements were made to support individuals in need, when it was needed most.
That is the impact Reaching Home is having across the country. Reaching Home is playing an important role in support of the National Housing Strategy's target of reducing chronic homelessness by 50% by 2027-28. The Government of Canada has further committed to ending chronic homelessness by 2030.
This goal is at the heart of Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS), a bold 10-year, $82 billion plan, to ensure more people in Canada have a safe and affordable place to call home.
The National Housing Strategy is built on strong partnerships between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and continuous engagement with other partners, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private housing sectors.
The strategy is the largest, most ambitious federal housing program in Canada's history, and strives to create livable communities for families and individuals. It's a comprehensive approach to addressing housing needs head-on.
The NHS supports the creation of new affordable homes and purpose-built rental homes, preserves and revitalizes community housing, while also committing funding to meeting the housing needs of vulnerable populations.
To address the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples among those experiencing homelessness, Reaching Home has invested $370 million since 2019 to Indigenous-led and culturally relevant programs and services.
This includes funding for 37 urban, rural, and remote communities under the Indigenous Homelessness Stream.
It also includes funding for distinctions-based approaches co-developed with National Indigenous Organizations and Modern Treaty Holders to address the specific needs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit across the country.
The success of the National Housing Strategy hinges upon the strength of our partnerships, and is informed by extensive consultations with Canadians from all walks of life, especially those with lived experience of housing need.
The Government of Canada is investing $18.1 million over three years to conduct Action Research on Chronic Homelessness. We stand in support of participating communities in the effort to identify and document persistent barriers to preventing and reducing chronic homelessness.
In addition, we are piloting innovative potential approaches that address these barriers head-on. The research findings obtained will help us to develop strategies and identify pathways to ending chronic homelessness in communities across Canada.
Homelessness does not discriminate; it affects people from all walks of life. Whether they are seniors, youth, individuals with disabilities, or veterans, no one should face the harsh reality of being without a home.
According to Census 2021, there were an estimated 460,000 Canadian veterans, with over 2,500 experiencing homelessness.
That's why, last month, Infrastructure Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada jointly announced the launch of the new Veteran Homelessness Program.
This $79.1 million initiative will support our veterans by providing rent supplements and wrap-around services, such as counselling and substance abuse treatment. The program will also provide funding for research on veteran homelessness, to deepen our understanding of this issue and improve our programs and services.
We will bring an end to chronic homelessness in Canada. It will end through programs like the National Housing Strategy and Reaching Home, through initiatives like the Veteran Homelessness Program, and through dedicated research to identify and address the root causes of homelessness.
And most importantly, it will end through the strong partnerships we have developed with governments, Indigenous organizations, and communities across Canada.
Together, with our partners, we are improving housing outcomes and reducing homelessness for Canada's vulnerable populations.
Budget 2023 reaffirmed the Government of Canada's commitment to the things that matter most to Canadians, like making housing more affordable, fighting climate change, and creating good, well-paying jobs.
Through these impactful programs and the strong partnerships we've built across the country, we will continue to make housing more affordable and end chronic homelessness in Canada.
The Government of Canada's commitment to addressing homelessness remains steadfast and unwavering.
Everyone in Canada deserves a place to call home. A place to feel safe and secure. A place to build a better life.
Thank you.
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