I would say no. This has been going on for years, so it's not necessarily this government but past governments as well. We've struggled with not only funding issues, but.... As for the boots on the ground at VAC, the caseworkers and so forth, I have to say that more often than not they do a fantastic job. Where we get stuck is in the bureaucracy above the boots on the ground.
Resources aren't there. We're struggling every day. At Homes For Heroes, our mandate every day is to ask, for whatever decision we're going to make, “Is it in the best interest of the veterans we serve today?” Every time I have to leave to do fundraising or one of my caseworkers has to go down to the local food bank to get food for veterans, that takes time away from serving our veterans' needs. I agree that the sense of urgency just isn't there.
It's growing. Again, as in our statements, our CAF enrolment is increasing, which, in turn, means we will have more veterans. We believe 1,700 is a low number. A recent study in 2023, I think from McGill University, pegged it at 10,000. I would say that may be high. I don't know, but it's certainly not 1,700, I can tell you that much, just from the numbers we deal with on a regular basis.
We're currently under construction in Winnipeg. They're talking, in the local shelters, in the interaction with public agencies, social agencies...in excess of 500 homeless veterans just in the city of Winnipeg. Do the extrapolated math: 1,700 is not the number, and I think we should stop using that number as a point of reference.