Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, I want to start by thanking you for being with us today to discuss this very important issue.
Social housing and homelessness issues are having a direct impact on the riding of Shefford, specifically the city of Granby. I just spent two weeks in my riding, and not a day went by when someone didn't bring up affordable social and community housing to me.
Before I get to my questions, I want to follow up on the last time you were here. You talked about a federal program to improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness, called Reaching Home. In my neck of the woods, we have organizations that are doing some incredible work, such as Impact de rue Haute‑Yamaska, Le Passant, Auberge sous mon toit and Partage Notre‑Dame. The problem, though, is that Granby still isn't a designated community, which means the homelessness funding goes to Sherbrooke. The mayor has asked that Granby be identified as a designated community, because right now, the city isn't able to get its share of homelessness funding.
Communities on the south shore are dealing with these issues as well. My riding goes all the way to Rouville. Just a few minutes before this meeting started, I got a letter from the Corporation de développement communautaire Haut‑Richelieu—Rouville telling me that the organizations that support people experiencing homelessness need recurrent funding. They include Maison Oxygène Haut‑Richelieu, Passe-moi la puck and POSA Source des Monts. The system isn't working. The Haut‑Richelieu region and Rouville are also feeling the effects of rising homelessness.
Minister, the program is appreciated, but clearly, you need to open it up to new designated communities.