Yes. We need a national housing strategy or policy in order to have the construction of more supportive housing. I only know the statistics in downtown Toronto, where we have set up for the first time ever a centralized unit registry, a wait list for people who need supportive housing, in other words, people with serious and persistent mental illness. The most recent number is that there are 6,500 people on that wait list. This is for downtown Toronto alone.
It's just plain common sense that once you have a foundation of some security and stability, then you can build. Among the success stories we have submitted today, two were of people who had been literally sleeping rough, homeless, and one person lived in deep poverty. They are all gainfully employed, well-functioning members of the community now.
I try not to politicize my views, but it's a cruel joke to talk about any kind of employment strategy unless there is a firm basis in housing.