[homeles_ot-l] ATEH media release on budget news

[Lynne Browne]

ATEH Budget Response

 

ATEH sent out a media release yesterday after the federal budget
announcement on homelessness (HPS) and affordable housing funding (IAH). The
media release is below and attached, it contains a number of details on
federal homelessness spending in Ottawa going back to 1999. Prior to
yesterday, ATEH letters were sent to all local MPs. 

 

Announced in Budget:

 

Homelessness Partnering Strategy - $119 million per year over five years
(2014/15 to 2018/19) using a "Housing First" approach.

 

Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) framework renewed - $253 million per
year over five years (2014/15 to 2018/19). 

 

The current three-year round of HPS goes to March 2014 at $134.8 million per
year. A five-year federal commitment is very definitely helpful but spending
went down by $16 million and this may reduce the amount of housing and
supports that can be provided.

 

Lynne

 

LYNNE BROWNE

Executive Director, Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa

171 George Street, Ottawa ON K1N 5W5, 613-241-1573, ext. 314

 <mailto:lynnebrowne at endhomelessnessottawa.ca>
lynnebrowne at endhomelessnessottawa.ca 

 
<https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.endhomelessness
ottawa.ca> www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca,
<https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.facebook.com/ho
me.php?%23!/pages/Alliance-to-End-Homelessness-Ottawa/136029386442398?v=wall
%26ref=ts> Facebook &
<https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://twitter.com/endhom
elessOTT> Twitter at endhomelessOTT

 

For Immediate Release   -   March 21, 2013

 

Homeless Alliance: Kudos to Government of Canada

Kudos to the Government of Canada from the Alliance to End Homelessness
Ottawa (ATEH) for extending Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) and the
Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) Framework in today's federal budget.
It comes as a great relief to our members that the federal role in ending
homelessness will extend beyond March in 2014 to March in 2019. 

The 2013 Budget announced funding from 2014 to 2019 for: 

.           Homelessness Partnering Strategy - $119 million per year over
five years using a "Housing First" approach.

.           Investment in Affordable Housing framework renewed - $253
million per year over five years. 

The current three year round of HPS funding goes to March 2014 at $134.8
million per year. A five-year federal commitment will be a great help to
local communities and may allow some time to adapt to the $16 million
reduction. Nonetheless, reduced funding could reduce the amount of housing
and services that can be provided.

ATEH was also pleased to see $100 million over two years to support the
construction of housing in Nunavut and $65 million over two years to more
than double its reimbursement rate and to simplify the Funeral and Burial
Program for Canada's veterans. 

A number of Ottawa agencies have been moving forward on a comprehensive
approach to Housing First working in partnership with each other and the
City of Ottawa. The Housing First goal in Ottawa is to move people rapidly
and successfully from shelters and the streets into stable housing while
providing them with supports to be safely and stably housed including
supports for underlying mental health or addiction issues.

In the coming months this community will definitely look forward to working
the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development to confirm the
implementation details of the HPS funding approach. HPS funding has been
crucial in Ottawa efforts to end homelessness. 

Over 2001 to 2014, HPS will have contributed an average of $5.6 million
dollars per year, a total of $67 million to Ottawa. HPS helped 61 agencies*
provide shelter and supported housing and services in Ottawa. A total of 426
contributions have been made to Ottawa agencies since the funding was first
announced in 1999.  

In particular, it has been extraordinarily helpful that HPS allowed the
community to be responsive to local priorities, allowing effective and
timely projects to address our community's needs: 

.         Developing new supportive housing

.         Enabling small and large renovations  for homelessness services

.         Helping people find and stabilize in housing, and preventing
housing loss

.         Providing health, outreach and support services, and

.         Coordinating services in Ottawa to reduce homelessness

The capital projects and service projects have helped a broad cross-section
of Ottawa's most vulnerable residents including families and individuals
with a low income, youth, Aboriginal peoples, victims of violence, seniors,
refugees and people with physical or mental health disabilities. It is
ATEH's firm belief that the wider community recognizes the importance of the
gains made with HPS funding and sees it as an essential federal commitment
to this community. 

Capital funding over this period resulted in the construction of 202
shelter/transitional units and 225 permanent supportive housing units in the
city, including:

.         12 shelter beds and 18 transitional units for the young men's
shelter at Youth Services Bureau

.         12 shelter beds and 18 transitional units for the young women's
shelter at Youth Services Bureau

.         40 supportive units at Ottawa Salus for adults with severe mental
health issues

.         42 units of supportive housing for 20 senior and 22 adult
chronically homeless women at Cornerstone Housing for Women

.         12 transitional units at Daybreak Non-Profit Shelter (Ecumenical)

.         85 supportive units for men transitioning from the justice system
through the John Howard Society 

.         26 hospice beds constructed at the Ottawa Mission

.         3 supportive units built by Nepean Non-Profit Housing Corp, and 

.         10 residential treatment units at the Tungasuvvingat Inuit healing
centre.

 

The prevention of housing loss is one of the most indispensable activities
provided by HPS funding since its inception.  A number of Ottawa agencies
collaborate to ensure residents who are in imminent danger of losing their
housing get the support they need to prevent them from becoming homeless.
Since the federal homelessness funding began, many thousands of Ottawa
households have been assisted in their struggle to stay housed.

The Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH) and its 43 member organizations have
always valued the Government of Canada's contribution to this community's
efforts to both end and prevent homelessness and ensure that Ottawa
residents have access to safe housing they can afford in order to be as
engaged as possible in their own community. ATEH applauds the government for
staying the course with the Homelessness Partnering Strategy and the
Investment in Affordable Housing framework.

-30-

* List of Ottawa agencies that received federal funding contributions over
the 2001 to 2013 period through HPS program (previously known as SCPI, HPI).


HPS in Ottawa is administered through the City of Ottawa for either ongoing
programs or one-time projects




Abbeyfield Houses

Aboriginal Youth Non-Profit Housing Corporation

Action-Logement

Andrew Fleck Child Care Services

Blue Heron Cooperative Housing

Bruce House

Centre for Addiction & Mental Health

Carlington Community Health Centre

Catholic Immigration Centre Ottawa Centre

Causeway

Centre 454

Centre 507

Centre Espoire Sophie

Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation   Rights in Accommodation

City Living

City of Ottawa

Canadian Mental Health Association Ottawa   Branch

Cornerstone Housing for Women

Daybreak Non-Profit Shelter

Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa

Emily Murphy Non Profit Housing

Families Matter Co-op

The Good Companions Centre

House of Hope

Housing Help

Ottawa Inner City Health, Inc.

Innercity Ministries

Jewish Family Services

John Howard Society

Lifeline Centre for Addicted Survivors of Trauma

Lowertown Community Resource Centre

OMRA Shelter Alternatives Corp.

Minwaashin Lodge / Aboriginal Women's Support Centre

Montfort Renaissance

Nelson House

Nepean Community Support Services

Nepean Housing Corporation

Odawa Native Friendship Centre

Operation Come Home

Options Bytown Non-Profit Housing Corporation

Ottawa Mission

Ottawa Salus Corporation

Pinganodin Lodge

Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre

The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa

Rideau St. Youth Enterprises

The Salvation Army

Sandy Hill Community Health Centre

South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre

Shepherds of Good Hope

St. Luke's Lunch Club

St. Joe's Women Centre

St. Mary's Home

St. Mathew's Harmony House

Tungasuvvingat Inuit

Vanier Community Health Centre

Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health

The Well/La Source

The National Capital Region YMCA-YWCA

Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa

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