Yes, I would say that it's definitely a major issue here. I know that in our organization, one of our trials is funding to pursue people once they've left the shelter. People will report that they've moved into an apartment, and unless we know that landlord or know that apartment address, we're not sure whether that's safe and affordable, in some cases.
So outreach and support would be very important, as would a men in supported housing program. In this city, we have a women in supported housing program. Women are moved into scattered units throughout the city and are supported with visits and whatever they need. They can call. And the services are very flexible. We would like to see a similar men in supported housing program. And while who funds that is discussed--provincial or federal--I think a federal strategy on funding those types of things.... Hostels-to-homes programs are now pretty active in many jurisdictions. They take on various forms and models, but that supported housing program is very effective. And you're right, outreach becomes very critical.
I would say that the same is true in employment programming. As we start to look down the road at Saint Leonard's, at our employment programming, we recognize that people don't lose their jobs because of hard skill issues; they lose their jobs because of soft skill issues. People need a “relationship and work attitude” apprenticeship program much more than they need a hard skill apprenticeship. And that's the nature of what supported housing means. People are moved into supported housing, and that outreach support provides that mentorship on how to relate to your landlord, how to manage your time budget so that you have time for cleaning and food preparation, and how to shop on a budget, provided you have some semblance of income, which we could talk about as well. But outreach is key.