[homeles_ot-l] Canada's housing ministers set to meet FW: [hhno-on] WI backgrounder

[Lynne Browne]

FYI

   _____  

From: Michael Shapcott [mailto:Michael at wellesleyinstitute.com] 
Sent: March 30, 2008 11:35 AM
To: nhhn-can at povnet.org; hhno-on at povnet.org
Subject: [hhno-on] WI backgrounder: Canada's housing ministers set to meet

Federal, provincial and territorial housing ministers are set to meet on
Wednesday for the first time in more than two and one-half years, according
to several reports. Provincial and territorial housing ministers met in
early February in Vancouver, and had invited federal housing minister Monte
Solberg to join them. Minister Solberg decided to boycott that meeting, but
in the face of strong pressure, send a message to his provincial and
territorial counterparts promising to meet within 60 days.

The Wednesday meeting comes at the last minute - just days before Minister
Solberg's promise was due to expire. One report suggests that the meeting
will only last 30 minutes - not exactly the day-long, detailed sessions that
federal, provincial and territorial housing ministers have attended in the
past.

In late January, the Wellesley Institute released its national housing
report card which documents the deterioration in housing spending at the
national level, and in many provinces and territories. The document is
available at < www.wellesleyinstitute.com >.

The one-in-five Canadians living in insecure, unsafe, overcrowded and/or
unaffordable homes, along with housing advocates, will look to the housing
ministers to make substantial progress in their long overdue Wednesday
meeting on two critical issues:

First, the renewal and extension of the three national housing and
homelessness programs that are all due to expire in fiscal 2008.

Second, the funding and launch of a comprehensive Canadian Housing Framework
- promised by the housing ministers at their last national housing summit in
September of 2005, but not delivered as yet.

The three national housing / homelessness programs that are due to expire
this year (in annual dollars) are:

* $700 million for the affordable housing (a two-year allocation of $1.4
billion from Bill C-48 that was authorized by Parliament in 2005 and
allocated in 2006; Ontario has managed to "re-profile" the funding, which
means that it gets longer to figure out how to spend the money);

* $128 million for the housing repairs through the Residential
Rehabilitation and Assistance Program; and,

* $135 million for homelessness through the National Homelessness
Initiative.

More to follow...

- Michael

* * *

Michael Shapcott
Director of Community Engagement
The Wellesley Institute
45 Charles Street East, #101
Toronto, ON., Canada M4Y 1S2
Tel. - 416-972-1010, x231
Mobile - 416-605-8316
Fax - 416-921-7228
www.wellesleyinstitute.com

********************

Lynne Browne 
Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness 
147 Besserer Street, Ottawa ON  K1N 6A7 
613-241-7913 x 205, lbrowne at ysb.on.ca 
www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca 






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