For the first aspect--I'm trying to recall different conversations we've had with various service providers--as you said, there's money for capital but not for services. What I can say is that service providers are frustrated that they don't receive multi-year funding in order to be able to initiate programs and see them through.
To have to constantly be writing funding proposals according to the flavour of the month, for whatever they are being asked to address, is a constant problem. It is hard to keep trained people in when you have to say to them, “Well, listen, March 31 is coming up, and I don't know if I can hire you after April 1”. That is a constant problem; everyone across the board in social service delivery says that. That's the first aspect.
Regarding safe homes for sexually exploited youth, there has been some really good work done in Manitoba with the Sexually Exploited Youth Coalition, the SEY Coalition. That is several different social service agencies; I believe that policing is involved. It has a whole bunch of different ranges. From what I've heard, it's a good model for being able to think of integration across many different social services and across policing and government agencies and that kind of thing. That seems to be working well here in Manitoba.
In regard to spaces, I've heard that there are two elements to this issue. One is that there are not enough spaces for those sexually exploited youth to go to for shelter. The other aspect--this may sound a little controversial--is that funding and programs need to be across the board for needs as needed--not just to say that we're addressing sexually exploited youth, we don't want to see those 13-year-old girls on street corners, we want to address that, and that's our flavour of the month.
It also needs to be addressed that...some of the concern is that we put efforts into some programs for youth, for instance, but not for women and maybe not for children. Some people are saying there are fewer services for women. The truth is that it needs to be across the board, and that's not to belittle the fact that we do not have enough services and outreach workers for sexually exploited youth or, specifically, enough beds for the safe houses.