News for April, 2010

Feature: Cities Fill Gaps Left Without a Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy

According to a new report, cities are doing what they can to fill the gaps created by federal and provincial cuts to programs assisting people living in poverty. Limited resources however have been stretched too thin leaving cities juggling priorities. The report by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) highlights the need for a national, long-term funding plan for affordable housing in Canada’s major urban municipalities.

The study, Mending Canada's Frayed Social Safety Net: The Role of Municipal Governments, identifies affordable community housing development as key to addressing the needs of the 1.5 million Canadian households paying more than they can afford for suitable, adequate and affordable housing.

The report also looks at the changing face of poverty and the growing reliance on municipal social services for many vulnerable groups in the 24 urban communities that make up FCM´s Quality of Life Reporting System. This is the sixth report in a series looking at quality-of-life issues and indicators in Canada´s urban centres.

“We have a new class of working poor in our country; waiting lists for affordable housing that keep getting longer; and people struggling to get to work and find childcare,” said FCM President, Mayor Basil Stewart of Summerside, P.E.I. “More and more, the only things giving these people a fighting chance are the services provided by municipal governments.”

In addition to direct social services, such as affordable housing, emergency shelters, and subsidized childcare, municipal governments deliver public services that help millions of Canadians earn a living and raise their families, like public transit, recreation programs and libraries.

Although there is no mention of a long-term housing strategy, the recent federal budget did confirm the $2 billion commitment for renovation and retrofit of social housing announced last year in Canada’s Economic Action Plan. “No new money, but good news nonetheless”, said the Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada. This year’s $2 billion is divided the same way as last year. The crucial item for housing co-ops is $75 million for federally administered housing, rounding out the total two-year $150 million commitment.

Toronto Mayor David Miller said the federal budget did not address something people have said they want: a national housing strategy. NDP Leader Jack Layton was also disappointed because there was no new money for homelessness or housing.

Community Spotlight: Eva’s Initiatives Award for Innovation Recognize Outstanding Work with Homeless Youth

In this fifth year of Eva’s Initiatives Award for Innovation, three winners are being recognized for their outstanding work with homeless youth. Eva’s Initiatives received 31 applications from organizations working with homeless youth across Canada. A seven member panel, knowledgeable about services for homeless youth, reviewed all applications and selected three winners from among the many applicants with impressive and innovative projects underway in communities across the county.

The three winners for 2010, recognized for their focus on integrated supports for homeless youth, are:

? Covenant House Vancouver & The Inner City Youth Mental Health Project
? Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary for The Infinity Project
? The Street Youth Planning Collaborative, Hamilton

The Eva’s Initiatives Award for Innovation is generously sponsored by CIBC. Each winning organization receives a prize of $5,000, presented at an awards ceremony in their community.

“The three winners are indicative of truly innovative approaches as communities develop effective responses to youth homelessness,” said Rachel Gray, Director of National Initiatives for Eva’s Initiatives.

“By engaging in new forms of collaboration and partnership, responding to some of the most challenging of issues, and by exploring new forms of housing these programs are offering important alternatives in our work with young people.”

Housing Again will profile all the winners and finalists over the coming months, beginning this month with Covenant House in Vancouver.

Covenant House Vancouver and psychiatrists from St. Paul’s Hospital joined forces in 2007 to launch The Inner City Youth Mental Health Project (ICYMHP). This initiative is designed to respond to the needs of homeless and runaway youth living with mental illness in downtown Vancouver.

Covenant House provides emergency and support services for street-involved youth, aged 16-24, including street outreach, a drop-in, hot meals, shelter, transitional housing, and mental health and addictions support. St. Paul’s Hospital is an acute care, teaching and research hospital in downtown Vancouver.
“On behalf of all of us here at Covenant House Vancouver, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Eva’s Initiatives for granting us the Award for Innovation for 2010,” said Tristan Klassen, Development Officer, Individual Giving, Covenant House Vancouver. “It means so much to us to have our efforts in program collaboration and innovation recognized in this way, and we look forward to sharing our successes with you as we move forward.”
A core principle of ICYMHP is to divert youth with mental illness away from hospital and other emergency services and meet their needs in the community through an assertive outreach model. The youth targeted for this intervention are those struggling with illnesses such as psychosis, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety.
ICYMHP provides youth with access to immediate on-site treatment for mental illness. The service is coordinated by two in-house mental health clinicians employed by Covenant House Vancouver and delivered by a team of six psychiatrists from St. Paul’s Hospital. The psychiatric team provides service in two different Covenant House locations, with a case load that includes approximately half of all youth in the shelter at any given time. Young people in the mental health project are also supported by other Covenant House programs, including case management, the transitional housing program, drug and alcohol counselling, and life-skills training.

ICYMHP is innovative in that psychiatric services are being made available to homeless youth where and when they need them. The project offers the opportunity to proactively address mental illness among homeless youth and avoid hospitalization. In diagnosing mental illness and helping youth follow through with a treatment plan, ICYMHP is key to improving youth’s readiness to access and manage housing for themselves.

Helping youth secure and retain affordable and safe housing is a key component of services provided by Covenant House to support the ICYMHP. Housing outreach workers liaise with local community partners to find safe and secure housing for the youth. Staff also help the youth develop independent living skills such as cooking, cleaning, and budgeting.

The uniqueness of this program lies in its multi-tiered approach to mental health care for homeless youth. Rather than one-off consultations with mental health workers, through Covenant House youth regularly have access to a team of psychiatrists while being supported through case management and continuum of community services.

News Briefs: New Leadership within Raising the Roof Staff Team

After ten years of exemplary leadership and as part of our succession planning strategy, Jennifer Parnell has decided to step down from her role as Executive Director of Raising the Roof to assume responsibilities as the Director of Strategic and Financial Planning.

Carolann Barr, who has been doing terrific work at Raising the Roof as the Director of Research and Community Initiatives, is our new Executive Director.

In addition, Amanda Noble has recently joined Raising the Roof as the Manager of Research and Community Initiatives. Amanda recently graduated from York University with her Master’s of Social Work degree.

Please join the Board of Directors in congratulating Jennifer, Carolann and Amanda in their new assignments and wishing them well in their new roles.

Trudeau Hosts Youth Roundtable

Ottawa, ON

MP Justin Trudeau, Official Opposition Critic for Youth & Multiculturalism, has issued an invitation to participate in a National Roundtable on Canadian Youth which will take place on April 16, 2010 in Room 200 West Block. This Roundtable, which begins at 9:00 a.m., will be the initial step in creating a national youth policy that goes beyond increasing service opportunities for young people, Trudeau said. “My goal is to formulate a youth policy that is driven by youth, and the organizations that know and serve them best. This policy must adequately address the needs and issues important to Canadian youth across all sectors.”

New Group Reaching Out to Homeless Youth in Nova Scotia

Pictou County, NS

A new organization in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, called the Pictou County Roots for Youth Society, is developing outreach services to identify homeless youth or those at risk of becoming homeless.