Homelessness Partnering Strategy

Homelessness Partnering Strategy
Name	Homelessness Partnering Strategy
Jurisdiction	Canada
Formed	2007
Parent agency	Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

Homelessness Partnering Strategy

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy was a federal initiative launched in 2007 in Canada to coordinate responses to homelessness across provincial and municipal levels, aligning with policy developments from Ottawa to Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal and engaging stakeholders such as the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, United Way, and Indigenous organizations. It aimed to replace earlier programs tied to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and to interact with national frameworks including the Aboriginal Housing Management Association, the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The Strategy sought to integrate funding streams from departments formerly connected to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada with advocacy groups like the National Shelter Foundation and research bodies such as CMHC and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Background and Objectives

The Strategy was introduced amid debates in Parliament involving Ministers from the Harper government and opposition figures, and it responded to prior initiatives including the National Homelessness Initiative and the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative. Objectives targeted person-centered outcomes emphasized by NGOs such as the Salvation Army, Covenant House, and Housing First proponents including Dr. Sam Tsemberis and the Mental Health Commission of Canada, while intersecting with provincial ministries in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Manitoba. The program sought to reduce chronic and episodic homelessness in urban centres like Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Halifax, and to address specific needs of populations referenced by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Wab Kinew, and Inuit organizations. Links were forged with research from universities such as the University of British Columbia, McGill University, University of Toronto, York University, and University of Calgary.

Governance and Funding Mechanisms

Governance structures routed funding through federal agencies including the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and intersected with Treasury Board decisions and federal transfers to provinces under agreements similar to those managed by Public Safety Canada and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Funding allocation involved regional Community Entity models comparable to practices used by United Way Centraide, municipal governments in Vancouver and Toronto, and provincial homelessness strategies in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. Grants were administered through agreements with service providers like the Canadian Red Cross and sector bodies such as the Canadian Mental Health Association and Veterans Affairs Canada when addressing veteran homelessness, drawing on financial oversight practices informed by the Auditor General and parliamentary committees.

Program Components and Services

Components combined Capital funding, Rent Supplement programs, Transition Housing, and Supportive Housing approaches influenced by Housing First pilots in New York City and Finland, and service delivery by organizations including Salvation Army, YMCA, YWCA, and local shelters in Montreal and Winnipeg. Services encompassed case management, assertive community treatment teams modeled on practices from Yale and Columbia, addiction treatment referrals linked to Phoenix Rising and Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and culturally specific supports developed with Indigenous partners such as the Assembly of First Nations and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. Emergency shelters, outreach teams, day programs, and employment supports linked to Employment and Social Development Canada standards were combined with data systems akin to Homeless Individuals and Families Information System models used in American Continuums of Care.

Implementation and Partnerships

Implementation relied on multi-stakeholder partnerships between municipal governments in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, provincial housing authorities like BC Housing and Société d'habitation du Québec, national NGOs such as the Canadian Red Cross, and research partners including the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Vanier Institute. Collaboration included Indigenous governance arrangements with tribal councils, urban Indigenous centres like the Native Women's Association of Canada, veterans’ groups such as True Patriot Love Foundation, and philanthropic actors including the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and the McCain Foundation. Cross-jurisdictional coordination mirrored interagency efforts seen in the United States Continuum of Care model, the United Kingdom’s Homelessness Reduction Act debates, and Australian state-based homelessness plans.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Outcomes

Monitoring incorporated data collection and reporting frameworks that drew on CMHC surveys, academic evaluations from McMaster University and University of Ottawa, and outcome frameworks used by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Evaluations measured indicators such as housing retention, shelter occupancy rates in cities like Halifax and Regina, and reductions in chronic homelessness reported by municipal counts and point-in-time studies modeled after practices in Los Angeles and New York. Findings influenced policy dialogues in Parliament, guided adjustments by provincial ministries in Alberta and Ontario, and informed best practices disseminated by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and international partners such as the OECD and UN-Habitat.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critiques emerged from academics, community groups, and opposition MPs who argued funding levels and short-term project cycles favored temporary shelters over long-term housing, echoing debates involving watchdogs like the Auditor General and advocacy by organizations including Raising the Roof and Pivot Legal Society. Controversies addressed perceived inadequate supports for Indigenous populations, veterans, and youth, prompting criticism from the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the National Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project stakeholders. Policy analysts compared outcomes unfavorably with Housing First research led by Dr. Sam Tsemberis and international models in Finland and Iceland, while municipal leaders from Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal debated jurisdictional responsibilities and fiscal burdens.

Category:Homelessness in Canada