Canada increases support for homeless

Canada increases support for homeless

During the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is having real, tangible public health and safety impacts on all Canadians. It is necessary to ensure that the homeless-serving sector has all the tools and interventions they need to prepare, prevent and manage this disease.

On April 4, Ahmed Hussen, Minister for Families, Children and Social Development announced details about how the $157.5 million previously announced by the Prime Minister for the homelessness-service sector would be spent. In Toronto, the Government of Canada will be providing an additional $19,169,573 to help address the impacts of COVID-19 on the homeless population.

In addition to this money that will be spent in the coming days, the Government of Canada has already spent an additional $15 million through Reaching Home to help those communities that faced needs in the first week of the pandemic.

This funding will be provided in the following ways:

Designated, Indigenous and territorial community entities will receive a top-up to existing Reaching Home funding for 2020-21. These investments will target urban centres with high shelter capacity where the risk of the virus spreading is the greatest;

Funding will also be made available to Rural and Remote and Homelessness community entities; and

A portion of funding will be set aside to provide flexibility to re-invest in specific communities dealing with more significant and emerging COVID-19 outbreaks.

In addition to this new funding, communities will benefit from the flexibility of the program to reallocate their existing Reaching Home funds to support their COVID-19 response.

(PRESS RELEASE)

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“Canadians experiencing homelessness, and those at risk of experiencing homelessness, are at heightened risk of contracting COVID-19. That is why is so important that we act now to ensure that the homeless-serving sector is prioritized. I believe this investment in Reaching Home will go a long way to effectively support the vulnerable members of our communities who need it the most. – The Honourable Ahmed, Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development