Human Resources Committee on June 18th, 2026

[The Chair (Robert Morrissey (Egmont, Lib.)), Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Good morning.

I call the meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 44 of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

Pursuant to the motion adopted on Monday, May 4, 2026, the committee is meeting on homelessness in Canada.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders. Members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application.

Before we begin, I'll note that all those participating have the option of choosing to participate in the official language of their choice. For those in the room, please select the channel that gives you that option. Make sure you're on the right one. If you're appearing virtually, please click on the globe icon at the bottom of your Surface and choose the official language you wish to participate in.

The clerk has advised me that those appearing virtually have been sound-tested, and the sound quality allows for the required interpretation in both official languages.

Please, if you could, put your devices on silence mode, and please avoid tapping the microphone boom for the protection of our interpreters. As well, wait until I address you by name, and please direct all questions or inquiries through me or the clerk.

Today, for the first panel on homelessness, I would like to welcome our witnesses. From the Intentional Community Consortium, appearing virtually, we have Gary Gladstone. From Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal, we have Annie Savage, director. Welcome. From the Safe Haven Foundation of Canada, we have Krystyna Lloyd, chief executive officer.

Each witness will have five minutes for their opening statements. When you're at five, I will say thank you and will ask you to conclude as soon as possible.

We will begin with Mr. Gladstone.

Mr. Gladstone, you have five minutes for your opening statement.

[Gary Gladstone, Chair, Intentional Community Consortium]

Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. Thank you for inviting me to appear today—

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Mr. Gladstone, wait a moment.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Sorry, Mr. Chair, but the French interpretation isn't coming through.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Excuse me for a moment, Mr. Gladstone, but there is an issue with interpretation.

Mr. Gladstone, if you could, start from the top, please.

[Gary Gladstone]

Thank you very much.

Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. Thank you for inviting me to appear today. I'm sorry I can't be there in person.

My name is Gary Gladstone. I am chair of the Intentional Community Consortium, or ICC. The ICC is a national coalition of more than 80 non-profit organizations working to expand affordable, accessible and supportive housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Canada. I am also the lead on stakeholder relations for Reena, one of Ontario's largest developmental service organizations.

Today I would like to make a simple point: Canada cannot solve homelessness without addressing the housing needs of people with developmental disabilities. For years, ICC and our members have advocated that people with developmental disabilities must remain a distinct priority within federal housing policy.

Recent research now demonstrates why. A major Ontario study led by Dr. Sylvain Roy examined more than 2,000 individuals in shelters and found that developmental disabilities are significantly overrepresented and frequently hidden within the homelessness system. The most defensible estimate is that between 13% and 15% of shelter residents have a developmental disability, with prevalence potentially as high as 25%. The study also found that approximately 80% of these individuals experience chronic homelessness. Many have never been properly identified. Many are disconnected from developmental services. Many are living in shelters because there's simply nowhere else for them to go.

What is particularly important for this committee to understand is that this is not simply an affordability issue. The research found that approximately 60% of individuals with developmental disabilities in shelters require high-intensity housing supports. Many are unable to successfully maintain housing without assistance in navigating daily living, finances, appointments, health care and community supports. The problem is not simply a lack of housing; it is a lack of the right housing. The report concludes that the issue is not a lack of need. It is a lack of identification, coordination and appropriate housing pathways.

This confirms what our sector has known for years: Homelessness for many individuals with developmental disabilities is not primarily an affordability problem; it is a supportability problem. People are being placed into housing systems that assume a level of independence that they do not have. The research found that nearly 60% of individuals with developmental disabilities in shelters require high-intensity housing supports. Without supportive housing, many cycle repeatedly through shelters, hospitals, crisis services, emergency rooms, policing interactions and inappropriate institutional settings.

The federal government recognized this reality under the original national housing strategy, following advocacy by ICC and others, by identifying people with developmental disabilities as a priority population and committing to 2,400 housing units. Unfortunately, fewer than 900 of these units have been delivered. As Canada develops the national housing strategy 2.0, this population must not disappear from federal priorities.

ICC is recommending five actions.

First, people with developmental disabilities must remain an explicit population within the national housing strategy 2.0, with a commitment to create, preserve or acquire at least 3,000 additional affordable, accessible and supportive homes by 2031.

Second, the federal government should establish a dedicated funding stream of at least $1 billion over five years for supportive housing serving this population.

Third, Build Canada Homes and future housing programs should support portfolio-based delivery models through organizations such as ICC that can aggregate projects and help smaller agencies succeed.

Fourth, federally funded supportive housing should incorporate appropriate care occupancy, B3 fire code, and universal accessibility standards from the outset.

Fifth, housing benefits and long-term operating supports must be expanded to ensure affordability and sustainability.

The solution to homelessness is not simply more housing; it is the right housing. Across Canada, ICC members are already building that housing. The Lou Fruitman Reena Residence, the Frankfort Family Reena Residence and projects being developed across the country by ICC members such as KW Habilitation demonstrate that supportive, inclusive and intentional community models work.

The projects exist. The expertise exists. The partnerships exist. What is needed now is a federal commitment to ensure that people with developmental disabilities are fully included in Canada's homelessness and housing strategies. If one in every six to eight shelter residents has a developmental disability, then reducing homelessness requires addressing developmental disability housing.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Gladstone.

Ms. Savage, please go ahead. You have five minutes.

[Annie Savage, Director, Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to participate in your study.

My name is Annie Savage. I am here on behalf of Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal, or RAPSIM for short. We are an umbrella organization that brings together 99 agencies working to prevent and reduce homelessness in Montreal.

RAPSIM's main message today is simple: The fight against homelessness can't be reduced to a housing strategy. It requires a comprehensive response, one that addresses housing, social determinants, community care and stable community-based intervention all at the same time.

The federal government must significantly increase its homelessness investments. Further to the Reaching Home call for proposals for 2026‑28 funding, more than 204 high-priority projects in Montreal, totalling over $304 million, were submitted for consideration. The funding requested was nearly four times what was available. Just 69 projects were renewed and funded. Because of this underfunding, supports were cut, and the toll on the ground is significant. Homelessness groups need funding agreements that cover at least five years, so they can improve services and plan for the future. What's more, that funding needs to be indexed annually.

The federal government needs to take a broader approach to prevention, one that addresses the full range of social determinants. Pathways to homelessness are seldom the result of a single event. Poverty, health problems, housing loss, violence, social isolation and precarious immigration status all play a role. Preventing homelessness and addressing its impacts are not competing interests. The government mustn't pit those investments against one another. Investments in both are necessary and complementary.

Our third point concerns housing. RAPSIM advocates for the right to housing, a crucial part of a real alternative to living on the street. However, community-based initiatives are just as necessary to reach people who still don't have access to housing, aren't able to access immediate housing or are at risk of losing their housing. Pathways into stable housing aren't linear. Investments in housing and community services must continue in tandem, so that those living on the street have a way out, and the necessary supports to keep them from living there permanently or going back.

The federal government has an important role to play in supporting the development of integrated community-based care and better alignment between homelessness, mental health, addiction, housing and immigration supports. People experiencing homelessness are dealing with multiple challenges at the same time. Often, they are coping with the consequences of complex trauma and repeat violence before and while being unhoused. These experiences contribute to declining health and make it harder for people to overcome homelessness permanently when care is not responsive to their needs.

Lastly, I want to draw the committee's attention to the need for emergency support. Last winter in Montreal, more than 900 temporary emergency spaces had to be added to keep alive those who call the street home. This necessary support requires appropriate planning and dedicated resources, separate from the funding for ongoing community-based services. The current crisis is not the result of a lack of community expertise or involvement. It is the result of an unprecedented gap between the needs on the ground and the resources available. Beyond housing, the federal government needs to address homelessness in a comprehensive way, one that provides lasting solutions tailored to communities' needs.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Savage.

Ms. Lloyd, please go ahead. You have five minutes.

[Krystyna Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer, Safe Haven Foundation of Canada]

Chair and members of the committee, hello and thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today.

While I'm here in my capacity as CEO of the Safe Haven Foundation of Canada, what I also bring with me is a unique combination of relevant professional and personal experience.

Over the course of my career, I have led community investment initiatives for one of Canada's leading energy providers. I have worked alongside indigenous communities advancing their own visions for self-determination, and I have served as a consultant supporting community initiatives at every level of government.

Equally important is my lived experience. As a young person, at the age of 16, I left an unstable home and experienced what we now describe as hidden homelessness. Eventually, I was able to access the people and resources that allowed me to reclaim my future and ultimately sit before you today with a deep understanding of the pathways that lead to homelessness, the systems that exist around it and, most importantly, the programs that prevent it.

There is no question that Canada is facing a housing and homelessness crisis. You will hear that reality reflected in the testimony of every witness you hear from today; I am certain of it, but the message I have for you today is intended to be a hopeful one, because if my words are being received as testimony, let me be your evidence that homelessness is preventable when we invest early enough.

For 30 years, the Safe Haven Foundation has been preventing homelessness among girls and young women aged 14 to 26. Our work is rooted in the internationally recognized foyer model, an approach that integrates safe housing with wellness, life skills development, education and employment coaching, all within a caring community environment.

Safe Haven is often the last program they ever need to wholly rely on. What makes our model so successful is that we intervene before homelessness takes root. That imperative comes to life through three integrated program streams.

The first is Haven's Way, where young women live in a family-style environment supported by live-in house parents, which is one of the key differentiators of our model, and begin rebuilding safety, stability, trust and confidence.

The second is Haven's Harbour, which provides bridge housing and continued support for young women interested in greater independence while they continue their education journey.

The third is Haven's Rise, the first program of its kind in Canada, which provides qualified alumni with the gift of a down payment for the purchase of a home, because what we believe is that true prevention goes beyond helping someone simply avoid homelessness today. It also empowers them to build generational stability for tomorrow.

Together, these programs create a pathway that maximizes outcomes for our youth, because we provide the time and depth of support that lead to opportunities that elevate their voices and their decision-making power. Our program is not time-bound. There are no parameters or time limits on their length of stay with us. Through the process, they begin to feel cared for and empowered, which then produces a level of kindness and empathy that they carry with them into a world that needs those qualities, especially in positions of power.

What I can tell you is that it works, and the outcomes are beautiful. They are breaking cycles and contributing to more resilient communities.

Despite the evidence that I'm sharing with you, prevention remains one of the least funded areas of Canada's homelessness response, and the need for prevention is only growing. The rising cost of living is turning unstable situations into untenable ones for at-risk youth in urban communities, while rural communities across Canada lack youth-specific shelter and housing options, leaving young people with few alternatives but to relocate to urban centres where the risks of exploitation and addiction are greater.

We are also seeing more newcomer youth navigating family and cultural tensions that can escalate very quickly into homelessness, and we are beginning to see more indigenous youth arriving at urban centres after receiving settlement payments without the relationships and supports needed to protect them from exploitation.

If there is one message I hope this committee takes away today, it is this: Invest in prevention. Invest in the educators and the professionals who can identify the early indicators of hidden homelessness. Create incentives for organizations to intervene early, with depth of care over breadth of care and no time limits, and empower proven models like Safe Haven to share resources and approaches with organizations across Canada. If we do this, I truly believe that we will finally find ourselves on the path to ending homelessness in this country.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Lloyd.

We will begin the six-minute round of questioning with Mr. Aitchison for six minutes.

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to all the witnesses who are here.

I have a few different questions, and I'm going to start with Mr. Gladstone.

I don't think you mentioned this, Gary, in your initial comments, but in terms of housing wait-lists, can you tell us for how long persons with disabilities wind up on wait-lists? How much longer does it take to establish permanent housing for persons with disabilities than the regular population?

[Gary Gladstone]

In Ontario alone, there are over 24,000 individuals on the housing waiting list, and it takes approximately 40 years for someone with intellectual and developmental disabilities—

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Hold on, Gary. We're getting background noise.

Mr. Aitchison, would you start at the top with your question for Mr. Gladstone?

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Gary, in terms of housing wait-lists for persons with disabilities, can you give us some sense of the number of people on those lists? How much longer would it take for persons with disabilities to get permanent housing than perhaps the general population?

[Gary Gladstone]

In Ontario alone, there is currently a 40-year waiting list for housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with over 24,000 individuals currently—in Ontario alone—on the wait-list. The numbers are similar across the country.

I'll also indicate that 18.5% of households living in core housing need are led by a person with intellectual disabilities, and it's not getting better.

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Can you give us a sense of how many units are needed to fill that gap? I'm sure it's not just a simple number, but could you give us a sense of how many units?

[Gary Gladstone]

Well, we would be looking for funds to have 3,000 units across the country now. That would significantly reduce...and would allow us to continue. Right now, in high-intensity and urgent situations, individuals with developmental disabilities are being warehoused in hospitals and long-term care. It's a terrible status of life for them and a terrible expense to the system.

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Thanks, Gary.

I'd like to move on to Ms. Savage.

I will not do this justice, unfortunately, in English or in French, but you made a statement about avoiding pitting investment in housing against the outcomes of homelessness. Have I captured that correctly?

[Annie Savage]

Pardon me, but I can't hear the interpretation.

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

I'll try again. During your opening remarks, you made a statement about the importance of avoiding pitting the investment in housing against the outcomes of non-housing or homelessness. I probably haven't gotten it correct, but it struck me, and I didn't entirely understand what you meant when you used the words “pitting one against the other”.

[Annie Savage]

What I mean is that the government mustn't substitute a housing policy for the comprehensive response homelessness requires. It needs to work on both fronts. Both are necessary and complementary. It is crucial that the federal government create programs that support the construction of social housing, housing that is truly affordable, so that the poorest members of society, those most often shut out of the rental market, have access to housing and stay housed.

However, given the current crisis, a lot of people are in need of shelter and ongoing support right now. Street outreach is still essential to help those who do not access housing, those who live in encampments. They need community-based care. It's important to connect with those who don't have access to housing, who can't find immediate housing, or who have lost their homes or are at risk of losing them.

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Thank you for that. That's an excellent explanation.

In your experience, is it your observation that all too often politicians, when looking for emergency solutions, don't think about the importance of wraparound supports? They just think, “Get beds. Get them off the street”, and that's the solution. Is it out of sight, out of mind?

[Annie Savage]

Actually, the needs are many right now. Long-term, medium-term and short-term supports are all needed. None of those can be overlooked.

Right now in Montreal, a wide range of measures are being used to address the extensive needs. We can't go without any of the measures or programs community agencies are providing. More and more, we're seeing a competition of sorts between prevention measures, which are necessary and effective, and measures that address the consequences of homelessness.

Naturally, we are all for addressing homelessness before it happens and working to prevent it. In fact, such efforts should not focus solely on housing loss. Efforts to prevent homelessness should focus on all the social determinants. It's equally important not to neglect measures that address the consequences of homelessness. It's not one or the other. It's both.

For example, if your basement floods, yes, you have to stop the water from coming in, but you also have to fix the crack in the foundation. You need to do both.

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

That's an excellent analogy. Thank you for that.

Ms. Lloyd, I would ask you a similar question. I think your lived experience is a very powerful story. Thank you for sharing it.

Based on your observation and lived experience, would you say that all too often, politicians at all levels are inclined to get the emergency shelter bed open and not think about it much more than that?