Good morning, Mr. Chair.
Good morning to all the committee members.
We thank you for this opportunity to be heard and to describe the homeless situation in Montreal and the needs of Montreal, which are among the most significant in Canada, as my colleague mentioned.
The Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal, or RAPSIM, is made up of about 100 organizations that assist those who are, or who may become, homeless in Montreal. It is the oldest coalition of community organizations in Montreal. Homelessness is not a recent phenomenon, but, as we describe in our brief, the situation is unfortunately growing. I will come back to that in a few moments.
RAPSIM partners with the City of Montreal in efforts to fight homelessness. We are part of the mayor's committee on the issue. We are also partners in and supporters of the Politique nationale de lutte contre l'itinérance, adopted here in Quebec, which takes action in various areas. In addition, we have been involved with the federal government since 1999 in distributing funds for what is now called the homelessness partnering strategy, previously the SCPI.
As I said, we are pleased to be here and to be able to contribute to the discussion on the questions you are asking about ways to contribute to Canada's growth. I will come back to the homelessness situation in Montreal in a few moments, but I would first like to say that, in the new government's first budget, two actions were a step in the right direction. We even made that the title of our brief. Funds were allocated over two years to repair the social housing units that were built with federal assistance up until 1994 and to ensure that they are accessible. The federal government also increased the budget for its homelessness partnering strategy by 50% over two years only. Those actions were well received all over Canada.
However, unfortunately, even more is needed to address homelessness issues, and that is why we are submitting our requests to you today. I want to give you some figures. Of course we have to talk about figures, even though we must also talk about the human beings who live in such situations.
Last winter in Montreal, we broke a sad record. The shelters had to accommodate the homeless for more than 80,000 nights, an increase of more than 10% for men and 8% for women. If we were in the hotel industry, we would be happy to be talking about a high occupancy rate, because it is an indicator of economic growth. But the growth we are talking about is in distress and misery, a growth that must bring us no joy.
This reality has a number of faces. The people in the streets or shelters, in an increasing number of areas of Montreal and the cities of Quebec, are ever more diversified. It is sad to see more and more older people in the street. Some have been there for a long time but others who were not homeless have become so, and come to knock on the shelter doors, after losing their jobs and their housing, or because of addiction problems.
So the needs are great. We are not seeking to bring you these requests so that you can bring us solutions to deal with the situation. This is about coming back to the questions you are asking. It is about finding how to make a bigger contribution to growth and to get more people into the action. I know that you know that, but we must remind ourselves of it.
Tomorrow is the 27th homelessness awareness night in Quebec, when we will be highlighting the extent of the problem in 30 or so cities. Why have we been doing that for 27 years in Montreal and now in 30 or so cities? Because there is a problem.
Some people are actually unable to find jobs. They are the ones now lining up at the Maison du Père on René Lévesque Boulevard in Montreal to get one of the places in the shelter. Before that, they lined up to get food. They have no mailing address, no email address. They have difficulty accessing communications: they have no phone, none of the other devices. Those are the basic problems that have to be solved.
To do so, the federal government played a major role and can do so again. I pointed out that, in the recent budget, funding for social housing units built up until 1994 was maintained. In Quebec, this means a little over 120,000 units that were built with that assistance in the past. The government has announced its intention, during the consultations undertaken by Minister Duclos and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, to develop a national housing strategy. That is very welcome. One of the aspects that is as clear as day to us is that the strategy must in large part be focused on the development of social housing.
The federal government must continue to live up to its responsibilities for the social housing units it contributed to. They are assets, in which people can live, pay a decent share of their rent, go back to school, and find jobs. It must also contribute once more to the development of social housing. For 20 years, since the federal government withdrew, the Government of Quebec has been playing a modest, but at least a continuous, role. The City of Montreal does its share, as do other cities in Quebec, such as Gatineau. But we need the federal government to contribute in a major, long-term way by developing a vision for dealing with the problem. We are not happy with the position that Mr. Duclos is taking on the matter.
Housing is without doubt an important part of the fight against homelessness. Since 1999, when the federal government decided that it wanted a homelessness strategy, it has recognized that it is not just a question of housing. There must also be support for shelters, for the work being done in the street, and for the work being done by mental health and addiction organizations to help the homeless.
Last year's 50% increase in assistance over two years brings some relief. For us, we echo the request made to the federal government by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, that is, to establish a vision for the matter and to double the assistance over 10 years.
There will be no miracle solutions. Homelessness will not be eliminated overnight. But we must find it within ourselves to support the people in the situation and the organizations working to help get them out of it. The assistance provided must be significantly increased over the long term. The federal budget could make a contribution, a difference, in that respect.
So there must be investments in the social housing that exists and that must be developed. The budgets in the homelessness partnering strategy must be increased so that a variety of actions can be supported. People in the streets must be helped out of them. But there must also be help for people who are about to fall into that situation, or who are in danger of doing so, so that they can avoid it.
That is what we are asking you for today.
Thank you for your attention.