Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen of the committee, my name is Debbie Lowther. I am the chair and co-founder of VETS Canada. Thank you for the invitation to appear before you today, and thank you for undertaking this very important study of homeless veterans. It is a privilege for me to be here to share some of our insight as it pertains to the topic.
VETS Canada is a national not-for-profit organization with an aim to provide assistance to veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP who are homeless or who are at risk of becoming homeless. We were founded in 2010 and are located across the country, with hundreds of dedicated volunteers who directly assist veterans. With a headquarters in Halifax and our volunteers across the country, we have responded to over 6,000 requests for assistance from veterans and their families from coast to coast, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. We are currently taking between 200 and 300 requests for assistance each month.
Those requests come to us in a variety of ways, through our 1-888 phone line, our website or social media platforms, and most recently through our newly opened veterans drop-in and support centre here in Ottawa as well as our recently announced veterans support centre in Edmonton. Some of those referrals are from other organizations or agencies. Approximately half of our referrals each month come from Veterans Affairs Canada case managers.
Since 2010 we've certainly learned a great deal about veteran homelessness. We've learned that there is a uniqueness to it that sets it apart from civilian homelessness. To understand veteran homelessness, one must first understand that serving in the military is not just a job or a career; it is a culture all on its own. When you serve in the military, it becomes your identity. Military members are those who are willing to lay down their lives in service to their country, and in order to do so, they develop incredible bonds with their fellow military members.
We know that there are many pathways into homeless, such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, job loss or instability, mental illness and addictions, physical health problems, family or domestic violence, and family or marital breakdown. What sets veterans apart is that they not only deal with all of these same issues but they also struggle with their transition from military to civilian life. I talked about the military being a unique culture. Well, now the veteran is trying to adapt to a new civilian culture, feeling as though they have lost their identity and doing so without the social support network that was always so important.
Our organization conducted a very informal research project. We surveyed a small sampling of veterans we had assisted. We were surprised to hear that the majority of veterans surveyed identified a lack of social support as a bigger issue than health concerns or financial issues.
That survey also told us that the first episode of homelessness did not occur for an average of 11 years post-release. The average length of service was less than 10 years, so there was no annuity in place, and the ranks were sergeant and below.
Since you are the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs and since half of our referrals come from the department each month, I will talk about our experience as it pertains to our efforts to assist homeless veterans in collaboration with the department.
In 2014 we were awarded a contract by Veterans Affairs Canada, making us their service providers in the field of homeless and in-crisis veteran outreach. That contract ended at the end of September of this year and was not renewed or extended. We were told in June that this would be the case, but we were told to apply for the new veteran and family well-being fund. We were told on September 28 that our application had been approved.
To be clear, we are grateful to the government for the new funding, but the funding that we asked for as part of this new source of funding, based on an increasing need in this area, was only partially approved by the department. We received only half of what we asked for, half of what we need to do our work assisting veterans and their families. As I said, we are grateful for the funding but disappointed that the department has determined that this issue of homeless veterans does not warrant a dedicated service provider.
On June 7 this year, Veterans Affairs held a round table on veteran homelessness which included people from over 60 organizations. The group included researchers, staff from organizations that serve veterans but not specifically homeless veterans, as well as staff from various shelters across the country. VETS Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion, and maybe two or three other organizations were, honestly, the only groups who could say that they occupy the homeless veterans space specifically. Many of the people who were in my breakout group were very frank about the the fact that they were there to learn, because while they may have veterans accessing their shelters or services, they did not have an understanding of the uniqueness of veteran homelessness.
One of the outcomes of this round table was an interactive map, featured on the Veterans Affairs website, with links to over 100 organizations across the country. Most of those organizations are shelters. I count only eight veteran-specific organizations, and of those, one is an organization that brings groups together to network and raise awareness. It does not provide a service to veterans. Two are organizations that are in the process of building housing for homeless veterans, but at this point that housing does not exist.
The interactive map has the Royal Canadian Legion located in Ontario only and VETS Canada located in Halifax only, when we are both national organizations.
My intention here is not to sound critical or negative, but this has become a very crowded landscape and more than anything, homeless veterans, like all homeless people, want to receive help from a credible organization that is going to deliver on what they say they can do. They're not interested in dealing with a connecting agency or a middleman that is just going to refer them to someone else.
We do not naively think that one organization can solve this issue. We realize it takes a collaborative effort, but we also know that a veteran is more likely to accept help from someone who speaks their language, who understands their culture and who can provide immediate support.
In closing, VETS Canada will continue to do its work, regardless of the support we receive or the challenges we face. Our commitment remains strong and resolute, that being to provide emergency support to veterans and their families in need, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from coast to coast.
Mr. Chair, thank you.
I look forward to your questions.