Good day, everyone.
I am here to speak to our brief, “Canada's Homeless in a Competitive World: Policies and Funding Proposals to Ensure Health, Skills, and Incentives for Homeless People and Those at Risk of Homelessness”. My name is Mary-Martha Hale and I am the chair of the Alliance to End Homelessness in Ottawa.
The alliance is a coalition of over 70 organizational members who have worked to prevent and end homelessness in Ottawa for the past 11 years. I would like to thank you on behalf of our members for this opportunity to speak before you.
The alliance is known across Canada as both an effective and a collaborative coalition of community stakeholders who work together to end homelessness. Today we are here with five proposals to help prevent and end homelessness.
We recognize that a long-term federal public policy commitment is required to meet the challenges confronting homeless people and those at risk of homelessness. On a daily basis we see the continuing need for strengthened federal support for communities such as ours.
I am the director of Anglican Social Services/Centre 454, a day program for people who are homeless. We serve on average over 300 different people daily, providing support programs that enable individuals to stabilize their housing and employment situations.
With me is Marion Wright, the executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association's Ottawa branch, a leader in Ottawa at providing housing first, along with the mental health supports and services people need to stay housed.
Here in the nation's capital, many members of Parliament will have seen the alliance's annual report card on homelessness in Ottawa, released at the end of February, and will be aware of the Community Forum on Homelessness, linking research with action, that we host on National Housing Day, November 22.
The report card on homelessness uses sound data sources: the federal homeless individuals and families information system in place in Ottawa and across the country, housing data tracked by the city of Ottawa, the rental market survey done by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and federal employment insurance and old age security rates.
The report card's conclusions are inescapable. Current government income policies and programs for affordable, appropriate housing in Canada meant that in Ottawa 8,853 people--families, including those with children, youth, women, and men--had to stay in an emergency shelter in 2005. This number does not include those who are living on the street; those who are living in places not fit for human habitation, such as a car; and those who are couch surfing, moving between the homes of friends, families, or strangers.
There is no doubt that federal policies and contributions are a critical component of successfully responding to the crisis of homelessness at the community level. It is both necessary and important for the Government of Canada to take the leadership role in solving homelessness. Our coalition members know firsthand that policies and programs implemented at the community level produce the best economic advantage to help individuals and families out of homelessness. In this way, they are more able to be contributing members of their community.
Long-term federal policy commitments are required to meet the challenges confronting homeless people and those at risk of homelessness. Most importantly, the Government of Canada can expect to have a successful impact if federal programs and funding are dedicated to sustaining community collaboration.
We have five concrete proposals.
The first is to create immediately a long-term sustainable program that commits Government of Canada support for effective, innovative solutions to homelessness at the local level.
Second is a direct and significant increase in affordable and supportive housing.
The third proposal is to increase rates and access to income support programs, such as employment insurance, old age security, and the guaranteed income supplement programs, to enable individuals receiving these benefits to pay their rent and feed themselves and their families.
Fourth is to reduce the lowest tax rate and increase the exemption rate to reduce the risk of homelessness. The increase of 0.5% of the lowest tax rate in the last budget placed a tax burden on those with the lowest incomes. For low-income Canadians who were recently required to start paying income tax, the risk of homelessness has increased.
According to the 2001 census, one in five, or 20% of Ottawa residents earn less than $10,000 and another 17% earn between $10,000 and $20,000.