Veterans Affairs committee  The fund first came into effect April 1, 2018.

Veterans Affairs committee  I mentioned this before. We would look at a variety of third party funds out there, including assistance via the Legion or VETS Canada. We can tap into all sorts of benevolent funds, like the Royal Canadian Naval Benevolent Fund. There were always funds out there that we could tap into.

Veterans Affairs committee  Some of the ones that I've seen that have been approved have been looking at housing. That certainly is a big one, whether they need first and last months' rent or, for whatever reason or due to unforseen circumstances, they can't pay the rent for a month. The fund is not there to look at long-term assistance, but sort of that short, unforeseen emergency.

Veterans Affairs committee  I didn't realize that. I'm assuming the number that's on there is our toll-free number.

Veterans Affairs committee  Okay. That's something we could look into. I apologize. I'm not aware, and I would hope that if it's some sort of technical issue, we could fix that immediately. I haven't been aware of that.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, sure. Certainly, our staff work very hard. When you're case managing complex issues, certainly it can be challenging and whatnot. I will tell you, though; we talk about a workplace of choice. I've seen Veterans Affairs really try to move in that direction, by offering little things that provide some sort of self-care for our case managers, whether it's flex hours or work from home opportunities.

Veterans Affairs committee  Okay. Those are probably statistics that may be available. Certainly we could take that back and follow up with you. I just don't personally have the overall statistics on that.

Veterans Affairs committee  Again, it's a case-by-case basis depending on the scenario. For example, if someone needed to be temporarily housed until we can look at more permanent housing, it would be immediate, which would mean—

Veterans Affairs committee  As we know, the fund has a maximum of $1 million per fiscal year. In the event it does expire—and you're right, winter is coming upon us—certainly in my area my expectation would be that we continue to utilize it in the same manner until such time as the fund expires. If it does, I will tell you, though, prior to the fund....

Veterans Affairs committee  I personally wouldn't have those statistics. The veterans emergency fund wouldn't necessarily fall to me as an area director. It's just something I wouldn't be able to answer. For me, it's when there's an emergency fund that comes in, then we treat it as such. If an application comes in, we have to adjudicate on it.

Veterans Affairs committee  I think we've come a long way in terms of the transition. In my area alone we work very well at the three IPSCs. I'm particularly thinking of Borden right now, where many more of our releasing members are coming through from southwestern Ontario. Definitely now everyone gets a transition interview upon release with one of the Veterans Affairs Canada staff members who are working out of the IPSC full time on base.

Veterans Affairs committee  Just so you know some figures with regard to the veterans emergency fund, as of November 15, there have been 416 approvals, and roughly $676,519 has been put out. From my experience, we have been quite efficient. We take it seriously when an emergency fund application comes through or a veteran calls in for the fund.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would say that some of the big things certainly are things that they witnessed overseas, dealing with, as you know, post-traumatic stress disorder. As a result, we have a lot of other issues that can come through from there, whether it's addictions and that. We're finding that some of our clients are dealing with quite complex issues, not just mental health but physical injuries and addictions, which lead to financial crisis, family issues.

Veterans Affairs committee  I can speak to how we've been utilizing the fund here. As you know, the fund is there really for urgent and unforeseen situations. If we are approached by someone with a need, we will look at it and see what we can do. I did mention before, however, that there are instances where we work collaboratively with other partners.

Veterans Affairs committee  To be honest, because my area is in southwestern Ontario, I just in all good faith couldn't comment about the west and that situation. I can tell you that from our standpoint, we don't want someone to get into a crisis situation, so it's very similar to looking for red flags—someone who might have a gambling issue or addiction issue.