Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This is my first time appearing before the committee on this tour. I was looking forward to it. I am glad it is happening here, in Medicine Hat. Following the testimony of my colleague Mr. Motz, I was very keen to hear your comments. They are truly inspiring.
For about 10 years, I headed up a community housing organization for vulnerable youth, at a time when there were calls for the principles that you defend, that you apply, and that are very important. By that I mean talking to citizens, listening to those living in poverty, and helping them take charge of their own lives rather than being looked after.
My perspective is from Quebec, and I was inspired by what Ms. Weeks said about the child welfare centre, because it sounds similar to the social pediatrics centres that Dr. Julien created in Quebec. The same applies for Ms. Turner and the social economy sector, which is giving rise to new ways of addressing funding. It is truly inspiring to hear all of that.
My first question is about the homelessness partnering strategy. You said we have to talk to the people who know the problems and the solutions. We should not focus on just one specific approach. You said the Housing First approach works well. Ms. Rogers spoke to that, as did Ms. Turner. There are, however, many other approaches that can also work well. We should also consider prevention. Ms. Turner just talked about that. We must take action and help people before their situation degenerates.
We know that the funding of the other approaches was limited, unfortunately. Essentially, I would like to know if you see the same problem here. Would you like to see a broader approach to funding for the prevention of homelessness?
Ms. Rogers can answer first and then the others can add their comments.