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Reaching Home will introduce greater flexibility for communities on how funding may be used, making investments to achieve community-level outcomes and publicly reporting on results. For instance, while housing first is a proven approach, endorsed by the Government of Canada, Reaching Home will give communities greater flexibility to address local priorities and invest in homelessness prevention and programming designed to meet the needs of different vulnerable populations, including women and children fleeing violence.
A key component of Reaching Home is the introduction of a coordinated access system, which will help communities ensure fairness, prioritize people most in need of assistance, and match individuals and families to appropriate housing and services in a more streamlined and coordinated way. The government will increase dedicated funding for indigenous-led homelessness initiatives to support the availability of culturally appropriate services for indigenous peoples off reserve living in vulnerable conditions, including indigenous women, youth and mothers with children.
In conclusion, we know that the challenges faced by women fleeing violence and experiencing homelessness are significant.
Although there is much work to be done over the next year to implement Reaching Home, it is through working collaboratively with our community partners that we will have a stronger response to homelessness across Canada.
Thank you.