[homeles_ot-l] 4th Report Card on Ending Homelessness- released today!

Tue Apr 1 07:21:17 EDT 2008

Good morning everyone,

Today at 10 am we'll be releasing the Fouth Report Card on Ending Homelessness. The media release is below and attached. As it in other years, the Report Card is the result of hard work and support from many members of the Alliance to End Homelessness!

I'll send a quick message when it goes up on our website mid-day.

Lynne

March 31, 2008 - under embargo until Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.

MEDIA RELEASE 

Media Conference to release 

4th Report Card on Ending Homelessness in Ottawa, Jan-Dec 2007  

2007 - A Step Backward!

More families and children homeless:  Federal, Provincial and Municipal leadership must solve the problem

On April 1, the Alliance to End Homelessness will release its fourth annual Report Card on Ending Homelessness in Ottawa, covering Jan.-Dec. 2007. The Report Card evaluates the city's progress in combating the crisis of homelessness and provides grades in four areas: housing, income, homelessness and length of shelter stay. 

How did the city fare in 2007? 

"Though the marks won't be out until tomorrow, families didn't fare well", says Perry Rowe, Chair of the Alliance to End Homelessness.

"Homeless families and children went into emergency shelters in record numbers in 2007. And the average time they spent there before finding permanent housing increased to the highest level in four years. 

"The latest figures show that the average length of a shelter stay in 2007 increased sharply by 13.9% , with people in all categories (men, women, youth and families) staying longer than last year," reports Dr. Tim Aubry of the Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services at the University of Ottawa. "That's an average stay of 38 days." 

"This is just not acceptable," says Rowe. "It's not a matter of things not getting better, we've actually gone backwards in this area. Homeless families and individuals deserve better." 

Rowe calls upon the Federal, Provincial and City governments to commit funding and show leadership to end homelessness. "Each level of government needs to act on its own and they all have to work together as well," he says. "Homelessness is experienced as a personal tragedy but everyone in the community is impacted and societal solutions are required. The time to act is now. Any further delay by governments in delivering a sustainable, national housing program is a disgrace!"

Rowe says that changes in all areas measured by the Report Card have been neutral or negative, which is well below what was hoped for when the 2004 baseline figures were first released.

"There has been little growth in affordable housing units, there are still more than 9,370 households on the social housing waiting list, and another 2,000 are still in need of supportive housing. People can't move into housing that doesn't exist." 

Though the minimum wage increased in 2007, rents continued to rise, and last year's increase in social assistance only kept pace with the rising cost of living. 

However, there was an increase in the number of homeless households that moved to permanent housing between 2006 and 2007, the result of interventions by housing workers funded by the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa.

§   The final grades for housing, income, homelessness and length of shelter stay and additional 2007 findings will be announced at the Media Conference. 

§   The 4th Report Card on Homelessness will include a Special Report entitled "Housing WORKS" with personal stories about the difficulties of finding a place to live after being homeless and the benefits of stable housing. Also in "Housing WORKS" are twelve innovative housing solutions for homeless people that have been developed in Ottawa.

The Alliance to End Homelessness is a coalition of community agencies and concerned organizations and individuals in Ottawa committed to working collaboratively to end homelessness by gaining and promoting a better understanding of homelessness and advocating for strategies to end it.

-30-

Media Conference to release The 4th Report Card on Ending Homelessness in Ottawa

Date:               Tuesday, April 1, 10:00 a.m.

Location:         Salvation Army Booth Centre, 141 George Street (at Cumberland), in the multipurpose room (Chapel)

To arrange interviews or for more information:

Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness

Cell  613-513-6647

147 Besserer Street, Ottawa ON  K1N 6A7

613-241-7913 ext 205, lbrowne at ysb.on.ca 

the Report Card will be presented by:

Perry Rowe             Chair, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

                                 Executive Director, The Salvation Army Ottawa Booth Centre    

Tim Aubry                Chair of ATEH Research and Evaluation Working Group

Senior Researcher, Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services, University of Ottawa,    

Marion Wright        Vice-Chair, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

                                 Executive Director, The Canadian Mental Health Association Ottawa Branch 

Toni                         Mother of two, a formerly homeless family in Ottawa

Other members of the ATEH Steering Committee will be available for comment.

An additional community spokesperson affected by homelessness will be available.

Hard copies of the full Report Card and the Highlights from it will be available at the Media Conference. 

English and French PDF versions of the Report Card will be posted later in the day on April 1st on the ATEH website at www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca <http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/>  

*************
Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness 
147 Besserer Street, Ottawa ON  K1N 6A7 
lbrowne at ysb.on.ca 
www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca 
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