MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –
Source: Government of Canada – in French
No matter how much progress Canada makes in solving the housing crisis, it will not be over as long as there are people living in tents because they cannot afford housing.
Ottawa, Ontario, September 22, 2024 – No matter how much progress Canada makes in addressing the housing crisis, it will not be over as long as there are people living in tents because they cannot afford shelter.
Through the Canada Housing Plan, we have made it clear that we will play a leadership role in helping to end encampments and address homelessness. We intend to do this by providing funding and coordinating our efforts with other levels of government.
Today, the federal government announced that we are ready to negotiate agreements and invest in any province or territory that will match federal funds to support communities facing the most pressure.
The government is providing $250 million, consistent with Budget 2024, to address the urgent issue of encampments and non-shelter homelessness. This funding is intended to be matched by provinces and territories, which will leverage up to $500 million to provide more shelter spaces, transitional housing, and services to help people living in encampments find housing.
This measure builds on existing programs like Reaching Home, a $5-billion federal investment over nine years to address homelessness. This includes an investment of $1 billion over four years, set out in Budget 2024, to stabilize funding for the program. In addition, the federal government is investing $79.1 million through the Veterans Homelessness Program (VHP) to help those in need.
We stand ready to work with all provincial and territorial leaders who want to see these funds invested in their communities.
Canada’s housing crisis will not be solved by one level of government, one service provider, or one home builder alone. We must work together to end encampments in our communities. Today, we are calling on the provinces and territories to help us do just that.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Micaal Ahmed Communications Manager Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (343) 598-3920 micaal.ahmed@infc.gc.ca
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.