The following blog post is a condensed version of Calgary Homeless Foundation’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy Submission. You can read the full submission HERE.
The Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) submitted recommendations for the redesign of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) on Thursday, August 24, 2017. Through the HPS, the Government of Canada provides support and funding to communities to develop local solutions to homelessness. We applaud the Government of Canada’s Budget 2017 announcement that it would expand and extend funding for the HPS beyond 2018-2019. The Government has tasked an Advisory Committee on Homelessness to provide recommendations for a redesign of an expanded HPS. A brief summary of our survey response and submission to the Committee is below.
- We believe that an expanded HPS should:
- Make federal and provincial homelessness funding co-ordinated, consistent and transparent;
- Align HPS fund administration structures to the development/ organizational life stage of a community; and
- Increase resources, including staffing, for the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System.
- CHF data supports the efficacy of the housing first approach to stably house people experiencing homelessness and reduce public systems usage, when properly resourced and implemented.
- CHF believes that one way to prevent homelessness is to reduce poverty, and we look forward to recommendations that will soon be made by the advisory committee for a national poverty strategy. We have submitted recommendations of our own as part that process which can be found here.
- A number of promising practices at a systems level have had a significant impact on improving housing stability for people experiencing homelessness in Calgary. These include:
- Coordinating Access and Assessment
- Providing Training and Accreditation
- Participation in the Recovery Task Force
- Membership in Collectives with Aligned Missions
- Empowering the Client Action Committee
Looking for ways to share your opinions and find out more information?
The Government of Canada’s Advisory Committee on Homelessness is inviting you to join the conversation and participate in online consultation until August 31st. Find more details here.
Feel free to share our response via e-mail or social media to your local MP and the Advisory Committee on Homelessness.
