Human Resources Committee on Dec. 8th, 2016

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Maybe I'll suggest that community groups could form visitation programs. They could visit seniors who are living in isolation and give them value. There's no cost to that, but there are great rewards.

The other issue is elder abuse. I think that as a country we need to take a serious look at seniors who did have a cushion to take care of themselves in their aging years, and now it's gone through elder abuse, and they find themselves in poverty. For example, the senior in the news this week couldn't even go to a Christmas party for $25 because all his money had been taken. It's very sad.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thanks, Mark.

We'll go over to Dan for six minutes.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Thank you very much. Again, thank you, everybody, for participating. It has been great.

With what we've been hearing today, I think it's undeniable: mental health is connected to poverty, and mental health is directly connected to housing. Along that line, in an earlier conversation we had, the last thing you said to me was about money. You need money.

Earlier this year, the federal government came out with three programs. One is the homelessness partnering initiatives program, which is $112 million over two years. Part of that is an innovation fund for trying to find solutions through micro-grants towards housing and homelessness. We have introduced another program for affordable housing, which speaks to seniors, social housing, rent, and co-ops, which is $2.3 billion over two years.

For my first question, I'd like to get a straw vote from everybody, or a poll: have you heard about these three programs?

[Ed Mantler]

Yes.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Okay, you've heard.

[Dr. Vicky Stergiopoulos]

Yes.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

You've heard.

Then the folks from Toronto—

[Voices]

Yes.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Okay, good.

I want to get some comments on how you feel those programs are working and are geared towards helping to solve these problems.

[Ed Mantler]

It's quite gratifying to know that targeted funding within that structure is aimed at Housing First approaches across the country. We've been working with our partner, the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, to provide technical training and support to over 60 communities that are now accessing that funding and using it for a Housing First approach.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

That's excellent.

Vicky, do you have any comments?

[Dr. Vicky Stergiopoulos]

Similarly, I was involved with the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness. It worked very closely with the city and community mental health organizations to implement a Housing First approach in Toronto. We are thrilled that there are opportunities for innovation to discover improved ways of supporting homeless people with mental illness. I think we need to pay greater attention to those who require high-support housing, including seniors who may require assisted living approaches to maintain successful community tenure.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Thank you.

Are there any comments from Toronto?

[Michael Creek]

Yes. I'd like to make a really quick comment. I think the investments that have been made are fantastic. I'd like us to be able to do more. Specifically, I find it very disturbing that I still find people who are living for 20 to 25 years in shelters in Toronto. That raises a lot of red flags for me. We're spending money on programs for people who aren't finding a home. We need to find out why these people aren't finding homes.

There are some special projects going on that are determining some of the things keeping people in shelters, but I'd like to see more investments in the area, especially around the chronic long-term homelessness that is happening not just in Toronto or Ontario, but right across our country. Within that national housing strategy, we really need to develop a strategy that addresses chronic homelessness.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Thank you.

[Ricardo Tranjan]

I have not been directly involved in these programs, so I cannot comment on any of them. I would be happy to follow up with a written submission if you so wish.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Okay.

Now I want to take this one step further and actually speak to one of the comments that was just made. It's great that we have all these programs coming along addressing housing as a first priority, but I want to get some comments on the wraparound services. Are they tied into this? That seems to be where some of the challenges are, the wraparound services. Have you heard anything about those, anything you'd care to comment?

Ed, I'd start with you.

[Ed Mantler]

As part of the At Home/Chez Soi project, Housing First is not housing only. It's housing augmented by extensive case management or by assertive community treatment based on the needs of the client. That's an essential component to ensure that those wraparound services come into play.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

I guess the question is, who is providing funding for wraparound services? Where are you guys getting funding for that? Is that coming through the province? Is that federal? Is there a connection?

I hear a lot that we're providing homes, but sometimes those wraparound services are not there. Where can the federal government play a role in the wraparound services?

[Ed Mantler]

I don't know I'm sufficiently informed in where those dollars are coming from in each community to give a meaningful response.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Okay.

I have about 45 seconds.

Vicky, you look like you have something you want to say.

[Dr. Vicky Stergiopoulos]

That's right. These services are funded provincially, and through the health accord it would be nice to encourage provinces to combine those clinical supports with rent supplements that would support housing. It would be supports in combination.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Excellent.

[Michael Creek]

I want to quickly add those supports around harm reduction are inadequate. The supports around alcohol management programs are really inadequate. We need to do more around those smaller things that we can do to work with people in our communities to provide those supports they may need.

[Kelly Murphy]

The municipality and the local health integration network that serves residents in Toronto are piloting opportunities to link, as Vicky was saying, new rent supplements with social supports, but having further direction from the federal government about how to overcome those silos between housing and health and see them as necessarily combined is a direction we would very much welcome from the federal government.