There's a lot of work to do. You're right in your assessment regarding homelessness that indigenous people are disproportionately represented among those experiencing homelessness. We're seeing many issues around addictions and mental health, but there are also successes that we're seeing, such as improved educational attainment and increased levels of employment among people. It's not all dire in the situation today; however, your point is well taken, and friendship centres exist to address the very issues you're raising.
There's a lot of work to do. The population is growing, as you mentioned. In Ontario, 88% of indigenous people live in cities and towns. Many of those communities are underserved, and programs like friendship centres can lead to better outcomes for indigenous people, for families, for elders, for seniors, for children and for babies.
Friendship centres offer wraparound supports to people at all stages of the life cycle. By investing in friendship centres, we can get in front of some of these challenges before they reach a crisis. That's why many of our priorities are prevention-based, making sure that we're taking care of the problem before it becomes a crisis.