[homeles_ot-l] ATEH release & WI housing fact sheet as federal, provincial, territorial housing ministers gather...

Thu Dec 3 14:30:10 EST 2009

Hello all,

Please see Michael Shapcott’s notes below the ATEH Media Release on the
Federal, Provincial and Territorial Housing Ministers Meeting, sent out
yesterday evening. Michael’s fact sheet and our release are attached.

Everyone in Ottawa is very welcome to join the demonstration in Gatineau at
11 am at the Robert Guertin Arena, 125 Carillon Street. Details are in the
“ang Invitation. 4 decembre. Pdf”

Lynne

To the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Housing Ministers:

More of the same is not acceptable!

At last! On Friday, Dec. 4th the first Federal-Provincial-Territorial
Housing Ministers meeting takes place since Stephen Harper’s Conservative
Party came to power in January 2006. 

 “More of the same is not acceptable!”, says a frustrated Marion Wright, the
Chair of the Alliance to End Homelessness in Ottawa, a vantage point where
government failure can not be hidden with 7,045 homeless in that city in
2008. 

“Without a National Housing Strategy, communities and provinces are just not
able to make sure everyone in Canada has a home. We urge the Conservatives
to launch that strategy this Friday.”

 “It simply makes good economic sense that a home is essential for everyone.
Without a home, or paying too much for a home, people can’t participate
effectively in our national and provincial economies”, points out Ms Wright.
“They don’t have enough left over for food or heating or clothes to look for
work in. That means all of us pay the price for the lack of government
leadership in providing homes for everyone.” 

“If I’m donating to food banks and homeless shelters – and believe me many
ordinary people are – I’m spending less on items and services that are
needed to keep economies afloat, let alone bring on an economic recovery.”

“That’s our message to Federal Minister Diane Finley and the provincial
ministers since they decided to exclude NGOs from the meeting”, said Ms.
Wright. “Our governments seem to act like being homeless is normal but it
isn’t. What is normal is that everyone in Canada has a home no matter what
province or territory people live in.” 

Ms. Wright explained that the federal government’s failure to quickly move
stimulus money or housing funding shows why a national housing strategy is
essential. 

Apparently figures released by Human Resources Minister Diane Finley show
that as of Sept. 30, 2009, only 0.4 per cent of the $1.9-billion announced
for housing and homelessness programs for low-income Canadians had actually
been spent; only 4.6 per cent of a $1-billion fund to renovate existing
social housing units has been spent; only 1.9 per cent of a $400-million
fund for low-income seniors' housing is out the door; and only 0.1 per cent
of a $75-million construction fund to house people with disabilities has
been spent.

- 30 -

Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

147 Besserer St., 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7

Office 613-241-7913, ext. 205

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca <http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/> 

  _____  

From: hhno-on-owner at povnet.org [mailto:hhno-on-owner at povnet.org] On Behalf
Of Michael Shapcott
Sent: December 3, 2009 1:54 PM
To: nhhn-can at povnet.org; hhno-on at povnet.org
Subject: [hhno-on] WI housing fact sheet as federal, provincial, territorial
housing ministers gather...

Federal, provincial and territorial housing ministers are meeting today
(provincial, territorial) and Friday (federal, provincial, territorial) in
Gatineau for their first national housing summit since September of 2005.
The latest word is that the ministers are not planning a communiqué, and
they are not planning a closing press conference – which is a pretty clear
sign that the ministers don’t expect that anything will emerge from the
session. Unlike previous meetings, the ministers have also decided that
there will be no formal opportunity for non-governmental housing groups to
identify issues and solutions. A number of housing groups will be in
Gatineau and will attempt to informally engage with ministers, and there
will be a rally at 11 am on Friday at the conference location. I will be in
Gatineau and will provide update(s) as news develops.

I have prepared the attached backgrounder which lists key facts and figures
on affordable housing investments. 

While we haven’t seen the formal agenda for the meeting, this would be three
top priorities for Gatineau 2009:

First, ensure the timely flow of federal affordable housing investments that
have been promised over the past 14 months. According to a report tabled in
the Commons on November 16, only $68.4 million of the $1.9 billion that has
been promised since September of 2008.

Second, develop a comprehensive national housing framework with targets and
timelines, roles and responsibilities for the key actors (federal,
provincial, territorial, municipal governments; Aboriginal communities;
non-profit and private sectors).

Third, enhance federal affordable housing and homelessness investments and
avoid future cuts. The federal government is already signaling that it will
be cutting funding for non-profits as part of a major round of funding cuts
planned early in the new year. The federal homelessness program could be at
risk. Current funding for the federal homelessness program is supposed to
flow until 2013, but the current federal government has attempted to make
funding cuts to the national homelessness program before – and it could be a
target for future cuts. In addition, there is an automatic “step-out” in
federal affordable housing expenses which was put in place when the
government announced in 1996 that it was transferring administration of most
federal housing programs to the provinces and territories. This provision
means that there is an annual cut in housing investments.

-          Michael

***

Michael Shapcott | Director, Affordable Housing and Social Innovation |
Wellesley Institute 

45 Charles St E, Suite 101                    Tel: 416.972.1010 ext 231
Toronto, ON, Canada,  M4Y 1S2           Mobile: 416.605.8316  
E-mail:   michael at wellesleyinstitute.com

www.wellesleyinstitute.com

rigorous research. pragmatic policy solutions. social innovation. community
action.

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