Tab B: INFC Briefing Notes

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• Performance Audit of Chronic Homelessness
• Homelessness in Canada
• Detailed Action Plan

Performance Audit of Chronic Homelessness

Issue / question

• What is the Government of Canada's response to the Auditor General of Canada's performance audit of Chronic Homelessness in Canada?

Suggested response

• The Government of Canada welcomes the Report.
• Homelessness is a complex issue, and no single program can solve this issue on its own. To end chronic homelessness we need to work with all orders of Government, Indigenous partners, and community organizations across sectors including health, corrections, and child welfare to address the root causes of homelessness.
• To address the report's recommendations, the Government has doubled funding for Coordinated Access and offered new guidance. As of April 27, 2023, 43 communities have implemented this approach, and we are working with the remainder to have this in place as soon as possible.
• We have also implemented the Results Reporting On-line system referenced in the Report.
• Further, the Reaching Home program data referenced in the Report is now available, and we are using it to assess and report on the impact and results of our work.

Background

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada's (OAG) Performance Audit of Chronic Homelessness in Canada

Report 5—Chronic Homelessness of the 2022 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada, was published on November 15, 2022.

OAG performance audits of Government services and programs are independent, objective and systematic assessments of the Government's management practices, controls, and reporting systems based on its own public administration policies and on best practices.

The audit work began in late 2021, and its scope includes the period of November 2017 through March 31, 2022. This audit examined efforts and progress made by Infrastructure Canada (INFC), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)* and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in reducing chronic homelessness in Canada by 50% by 2027-28.

This audit focused on:

1. Whether ESDC* and INFC prevented and reduced chronic homelessness through interventions that helped persons at risk of or experiencing homelessness obtain housing and supports needed to remain housed.
2. Whether CMHC contributed to the prevention and reduction of chronic homelessness by addressing the housing needs and improving housing outcomes for vulnerable Canadians.
   
   *The scope of the audit shifted from ESDC to INFC after the Homelessness Policy Directorate transferred to INFC effective October 26, 2021.

This audit found that:

• INFC did not know whether chronic/homelessness increased/decreased;
• Collection and analysis of data on Reaching Home project results and use of pandemic funding was incomplete;
• CMHC did not know whether it was addressing housing needs of and improving housing outcomes for vulnerable Canadians;
• There was minimal federal accountability for reaching the National Housing Strategy (NHS) goal of reducing chronic homelessness by 50% by the 2027-28 fiscal year;
• Federal housing and homelessness initiatives were not well integrated.

As part of the NHS, Reaching Home launched in April 2019, and introduced a number of transformational adjustments. Specifically, the Program aims to streamline access to housing and supports for people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness by coordinating local services to achieve community-wide outcomes using real-time data. In many cases, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed implementation as communities re-directed efforts to address the public health crisis that emerged.

The Auditor General recommended that the federal government:

• Collect/analyze data quickly, to report up-to-date results on chronic/homelessness, and determine how programs are addressing needs;
• Use data and analysis to make program adjustments where required;
• Assess impact of CMHC programs on vulnerable groups at all stages of NHS initiatives;
• Align and integrate efforts of INFC and CMHC to meet housing needs of priority vulnerable groups including people experiencing chronic homelessness;
• Engage central agencies to clarify accountability for the achievement of the chronic homelessness NHS target.

INFC and CMHC agree with these recommendations and note that COVID-19 significantly impacted communities' ability to collect and report data. In response:

• An approach has been implemented, introducing process and IT improvements to accelerate data processing, analysis and reporting. As a result of these changes, it is expected that the 2021 and 2022 national shelter estimates will follow in 2023;
• CMHC and INFC have co-developed a strategy to ensure that Reaching Home funding recipients are aware of other funding opportunities available under the National Housing Strategy;
• CMHC will further define and analyze the housing need of vulnerable populations, understand who is being assisted within its units, and measure how its programs are meeting these needs, by the end of 2023;
• CMHC and INFC will work with central agencies by December 31, 2023, to clarify accountability for the achievement of the chronic homelessness NHS target;
• Senior level committees have been established in 2022-23, formalizing collaboration across CMHC, INFC, Veterans Affairs Canada and other federal partners.

INFC and CMHC have developed detailed action plans that outline the concrete actions and their respective timelines that will be taken to address the OAG's recommendations, including the above listed activities.

Government commitments regarding chronic homelessness

• As part of the NHS, in 2018, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $2.2 billion over 10 years to prevent and reduce homelessness and support a broader NHS objective of reducing chronic homelessness by 50% by 2027-28. On April 1, 2019, the Government of Canada launched Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy.
• On September 23, 2020, the Speech from the Throne committed to building on the work of the NHS by focusing on “entirely eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada.”
• Budget 2021 reiterated the Government's commitment to eliminate chronic homelessness in Canada.
• On November 23, 2021, the Speech from the Throne reiterated the Government's commitment to “working with its partners” to end chronic homelessness in Canada. Subsequently, your Mandate Letter, published on December 16, 2021, called for the appointment of a new Federal Housing Advocate to monitor progress in meeting goals including ending chronic homelessness.
• On April 7, 2022, the Budget announced:
• An additional $562.2 million over two years through Reaching Home beginning in 2024-25, to maintain the funding levels from 2023-24, aimed at objectives including continuing to make progress toward ending chronic homelessness;
• $18.1 million over three years, beginning in 2022-23, to conduct research about what further measures are required to support communities in eliminating chronic homelessness; and
• A commitment to eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada by 2030.

Key statistics on chronic homelessness in Canada

• Across 55 communities that conducted a Point-in-Time count in 2018 and in 2020-22, there was a 12% increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness. This increase can be attributed to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as improvements in the methodology. Compared to 2018, those enumerated in an unsheltered location doubled (a 100% increase), while those in sheltered locations increased by 3%, and the number of people in transitional housing decreased by 22%.
• The number of shelter users decreased from 129,017 in 2017 to 88,342 in 2020.
• The drop from 2019 to 2020 (from 118,759 to 88,342) is largely attributable to the pandemic and reduced shelter capacity due to social distancing. However, prior to the pandemic, from 2017 to 2019, there was also a downward trend in shelter use.
• Despite a decrease in shelter users, occupancy rates have remained high over the study period due to longer shelter stays. Shelter occupancy approached 94% in 2020.
• Among 88,342 emergency shelters users, about 27,700 experienced chronic homelessness.

Homelessness in Canada

Issue / question

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

Suggested response

• Homelessness is a complex issue and our government is committed to continuing to work with partners and communities to move towards the goal of eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada by 2030.
• The Government of Canada has invested nearly $4 billion over nine years to address homelessness through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy.
• Reaching Home is having a significant impact. In its first three years, the program funded over 5,000 projects which helped place more than 46,000 people experiencing homelessness into more stable housing, and more than 87,000 people benefited from prevention and shelter diversion services.
• As part of the Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased Reaching Home funding enabled the creation of over 26,000 temporary accommodation spaces and over 214,000 instances of placements into temporary accommodations, like hotels, were provided.

Background

The Government of Canada has invested nearly $4 billion over nine years to address homelessness through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy. This includes an investment of $562.2 million over two years announced in Budget 2022.

Budget 2022: On April 7, 2022, the Budget announced:

• an investment of $562.2 million over two years through Reaching Home, beginning in 2024-25. This funding, which maintains the funding levels from 2023-24, is aimed at providing longer term certainty for the community organizations doing vitally important work across the country and to ensure they have the support they need to continue to prevent and address homelessness, as well as continue to make progress toward the Government's goal of ending chronic homelessness;
• $18.1 million over three years, beginning in 2022-23, to conduct research to identify what measures are required to support communities in eliminating chronic homelessness. The aim of action research is to identify and document persistent barriers to preventing and reducing chronic homelessness experienced by communities and to test potential approaches to address persistent barriers and document successes and challenges. Projects will focus on three priority areas of study: collaboration, system alignment and data. Flexibility will remain for each individual community to identify specific priority areas, including placing a focus on specific populations through the co-development process; and,
• a commitment to eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada by 2030.

Mandate letter priority - Federal Housing Advocate: Your December 2021 mandate letter included a priority to appoint a Federal Housing Advocate. The role of the Federal Housing Advocate is to promote and protect housing rights in Canada by independently conducting research, consulting with individuals with lived experience of housing need and/or homelessness, working with vulnerable groups and civil society organizations as well as reviewing and assessing submissions on systemic housing issues under federal jurisdiction. Effective February 21, 2022, Marie-Josée Houle was appointed the Federal Housing Advocate, by the Governor in Council on your recommendation as Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, for a three year term.

Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy

As part of the National Housing Strategy, the Government launched Reaching Home in 2019. Reaching Home is a community-based program that provides funding directly to specific communities through the Designated Communities, Indigenous Homelessness, Rural and Remote Homelessness and Territorial Homelessness streams. Financial support is provided to 64 Designated Communities (urban centres), the three territorial capitals, 30 Indigenous communities and rural and remote communities across Canada to support their efforts in preventing and reducing homelessness.

It also makes funding available to Indigenous partners to support distinctions-based approaches to homelessness services. The Community Capacity and Innovation stream supports communities with the implementation of Coordinated Access and supports innovation in the sector.

• Reaching Home in Quebec: the Designated Communities stream and the Rural and Remote Homelessness stream are governed by a Canada-Quebec Agreement that reflects the jurisdictions and priorities of both governments. The Indigenous Homelessness stream is administered by Service Canada throughout the province. This stream is not under a Canada-Quebec Agreement.

The main objective of Reaching Home is to streamline access to housing and supports for people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, by coordinating local services to achieve community-wide outcomes using real-time data.

Between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2022, Reaching Home committed over $992 million to support more than 5,000 projects to address the needs of individuals experiencing and at risk of homelessness. These projects focus on program activity areas such as: Basic Needs Services; Housing Placement; Prevention and Shelter Diversion; Economic Integration Services; and COVID-19 Temporary Accommodations.

Through these projects, over 87,000 people benefited from homelessness prevention services such as rental assistance and landlord/family mediation, and over 46,000 people have been placed into more stable housing. As part of the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reaching Home enabled the creation of more than 26,000 temporary accommodation spaces to ensure physical distancing in shelters. Funding also provided access to income assistance, job training, education programs, and support to find employment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of housing for many Canadians, particularly those who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. Access to safe and affordable housing, as well as support services, are prerequisites to participating fully in economic and social life, and to ensuring protection against disease transmission. With the help of emergency funding for the homelessness sector, communities have taken urgent action to try to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among those experiencing homelessness, including efforts to reduce overcrowding in shelters, establish isolation spaces and place individuals in hotels/motels.

During the pandemic, our Government invested a total of $1.3 billion in additional funding for Reaching Home to support communities in addressing the needs of people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. This includes $394.2 million through the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, $299.4 million in additional investments for 2021-22 announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement and $567 million over two years, beginning in 2022-23, announced in Budget 2021. The funding will also support communities in implementing Coordinated Access and associated local data systems (e.g., unique identifier lists) and enhancing the availability of training and technical assistance.

Along with additional funding delivered through the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, Reaching Home introduced temporary flexibilities in its program directives, including:

• enabling communities to use Reaching Home funding for health and medical services; and,
• allowing Designated Communities and Indigenous Homelessness stream recipients to fund sub-projects located outside of their traditional service boundaries.

With the transition from emergency pandemic response to an ongoing focus on the prevention and reduction of homelessness, including chronic homelessness, these flexibilities were discontinued on March 31, 2023. This ensures that Reaching Home funded activities are optimally aligned with the intent of the program.

Veteran Homelessness

Issue / question

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

Suggested response

• On April 27,2023, the Minister of Veterans Affairs and I announced $79.1 million in funding for the Veteran Homelessness Program.
• The Program will provide $72.9 million for rent supplements and wrap-around services, such as counselling and treatment for substance abuse. It will also provide $6.2 million to support research on veteran homelessness.
• Eligible recipients, including veteran-serving organizations, can submit their funding proposal through an online portal on the Infrastructure Canada website until June 23, 2023.
• The Government of Canada is committed to ending chronic homelessness among veterans, and this new program is a significant step towards achieving that goal.

Background

Your mandate letter, published on December 16, 2021, included a plan to “Accelerate our Government's commitment to end chronic homelessness among veterans through the Rapid Housing Initiative, a new rent supplement program, wrap around supports and a dedicated stream of funding for veterans within the National Housing Co-Investment Fund.”

Veteran Homelessness Program

Budget 2021 and Budget 2022 announced a total of $106.8 million over five years for Infrastructure Canada to launch a new Veteran Homelessness Program that will provide wrap-around services and rent supplements to veterans experiencing homelessness in partnership with community organizations. The program was announced on April 27, 2023 (News Release). The Call for Proposals opened on April 28, 2023, and will close on June 23, 2023.

As part of the National Housing Strategy suite of federal housing initiatives, the Veteran Homelessness Program will provide $72.9 million through the Services and Supports Stream for rent supplements and “wrap-around” services such as counselling and treatment for substance use.

Additionally, $6.2 million will be available through the Capacity Building Stream, to fund research on veteran homelessness and support capacity building. The Veteran Homelessness Program will provide ongoing and comprehensive services and supports to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness over a five-year period, in order to maximize their chances of long-term success in being rehoused.

Veteran Homelessness Roundtables

In March 2022, you co-hosted three virtual veteran homelessness roundtables with the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. In total, 41 veteran and homelessness stakeholders participated, as well as veterans with lived experience of homelessness.

These roundtables gathered ideas on how the Government can lead efforts to end veteran homelessness, and were used to inform the new Veteran Homelessness Program announced in Budget 2022 and launched on April 27, 2023. Themes included the need to ensure: veteran housing choice; that wrap-around services are available in conjunction with affordable and safe housing; that health and medical services are integrated in supports for veterans; better data and data-driven approaches to veteran homelessness; increased awareness of available programs and services for veterans at risk or experiencing homelessness; and coordination across sectors, government departments, and orders of governments to prevent and reduce veteran homelessness.

Reaching Home

Veterans experiencing homelessness have access to programming for homeless and at-risk individuals through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy funding to communities.

In order to understand veterans experiencing homelessness, both coordinated Point-in-Time Counts held in 2016 and 2018 included a question on veteran status as one of the core questions being asked in the counts. With this data, resources can be targeted more effectively at the local level.

Further, the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System, software used by service providers across the country, includes indicators to identify veterans in order to refer them to services provided by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC).

On September 23, 2020, the Speech from the Throne committed to building on the work of the National Housing Strategy (NHS) by focusing on “entirely eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada”, including among veterans.

Beyond Reaching Home, other initiatives that support veterans

Through VAC, the Minister of Veterans Affairs is responsible for a number of other initiatives that support veterans as well as the organizations who serve them. Budget 2021 announced $140 million over five years starting in 2021-22, and $6 million ongoing, for a program that would cover the mental health care costs of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive, or anxiety disorders while their disability benefit application is being processed.

Other examples of VAC programming include:

• The Veterans Emergency Fund, which provides prompt financial support to veterans, their families and survivors who are facing an unforeseen financial emergency that is threatening their health and well-being;
• Financial assistance available to eligible veterans through the War Veterans Allowance, the Assistance Fund, and Treatment benefits;
• Educational and employment assistance and mental health supports, as well as programs that care for veterans with disabilities;
• The VAC Assistance Service, which provides free, short-term psychological support with a mental health professional to veterans, their families, and their caregivers for difficulties affecting their well-being.

Not-for-profit organizations, such as Veterans Emergency Transition Services (VETS) Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Royal Canadian Naval Benevolent Fund and the Canadian Forces Personnel Assistance Fund, also provide veterans in crisis with access to emergency funds.

London, Ontario's achievement of functional zero on veteran homelessness

The community of London, Ontario is the first in Canada to functionally end veteran homelessness, meaning the number of veterans experiencing homelessness is less than or equal to the number of veterans a community has proven it can house in a given month.

Between March and August 2020, London reduced the number of veterans experiencing homelessness by over 57%. Leveraging community-level data and working in collaboration with organizations serving veterans, the local homeless-serving system strategically targeted resources on homeless veterans.

Through Reaching Home, the Government has provided investments to implement Coordinated Access and a unique identifier list (or By-Name List), a comprehensive real-time list of all people experiencing homelessness in a community. Through a combination of Reaching Home funding and supports provided by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH), London was the first community in Canada to achieve a Quality By-Name List for veterans as part of CAEH's Built for Zero Canada initiative.

In addition, through the support of CAEH, in April 2023, the community of St. Thomas‑Elgin, Ontario announced that it was the second community in Canada to achieve functional zero veteran homelessness.

Data on Veteran Homelessness

• In 2020, an estimated 1.5% of emergency shelter users were veterans (approximately 1,370 individuals). This is consistent with the estimated overall proportion of veterans in Canada according to the 2021 VAC counts (1.7%). It is believed that these results are underestimated given that they are based on veterans who self-identify; and exclude veterans who do not access the shelter system. As a result, it is generally estimated there are about 2,500 veterans experiencing homelessness.
• Results from the 2018 Coordinated Point-in-Time Count show that in the 61 participating communities, approximately 5% of respondents indicated that they were a veteran of either the Canadian Armed Forces or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

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