Mr. Speaker, the facts are sobering. There are 35,000 people in our country who will be homeless tonight. There are 235,000 people who will experience homelessness this year. Our shelters are full, and are at capacity across the country.
For older adults and families, the stay is now as long as 20 days. One in four homeless are older adults or seniors, one in four homeless are women, and one in five homeless are youth.
My office has started a breakfast program to offer a warm meal every Saturday to those on the street, but we need to do so much more.
We will walk this Saturday, February 25, for the coldest night of the year, a walk to support those who are hurting, who have no hope, and feel helpless.
We will walk to support our Outflow shelter in Saint John—Rothesay, and the daunting task it faces to shelter homeless with little help. We will be walking and giving our support. It is the least we can do.