Homeless Canada

EDMONTON - Council of Alberta's capital city passed a motion Tuesday declaring a homelessness and housing emergency, but the vote wasn't unanimous. The resolution was brought by Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, who said action had to be taken because of a jump in homelessness in the city and because people are dying. "If we don't treat this as a long-term emergency, more and more Edmontonians will fall through the cracks and become homeless," Sohi said in his final pitch to council. Image: Edmonton city council has passed a motion declaring a homelessness and housing emergency, but the vote wasn't unanimous. Police negotiate with encampment residents and supporters during a stand off as police prepare to clear homeless encampments in Edmonton, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson. GAC Full story: https://lnkd.in/gSNHVkXK

City of Ottawa and federal government agree to open new emergency homeless shelter. The Graham Spy Building in Westboro is expected to open Jan. 20 as an emergency overnight shelter. https://lnkd.in/g2z3yE4t

Canada must recognize anti-homeless attacks as hate crimesHate crime is a growing concern in Canada. These are crimes motivated by animosity, bias or hate toward some aspect of a victim's identity. https://lnkd.in/g3jWTRJJ

'Still alive:' Calgary's unhoused residents grapple with extreme cold. Some unhoused Calgarians say they choose to sleep in tents rather than at shelters despite the extreme cold because of security concerns. Bill Kaufmann https://lnkd.in/gPZwA7Pc

As municipalities work to address homelessness, how do they measure success? Researcher says a better job needs to be done to keep track of the unhoused in Canada. https://lnkd.in/gHqUQAiU

Quebec's homeless population almost doubled in 4 years, report says. Many groups, including Indigenous people, people who've been in youth protection, are overrepresented. https://lnkd.in/gmZjvahT

Greater Vancouver homeless count shows intergenerational impact of residential schools, support workers say. 33% of respondents are Indigenous, 64% report having lived or generational residential school experience. Full story: https://lnkd.in/g3VgbwKT

Province silent on where Fredericton 'hub' to help homeless people might go Housing advocate Joan Kingston says new hub will be located within walking distance of downtown. A community hub connecting people who are homeless to housing and mental health and addictions services in Fredericton was said to be opening this month, but an exact opening date and location remain unknown.  Last month, Social Development Minister Jill Green announced her department was planning to open what she called "out-of-the-cold hubs" in Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton to give people a drop-in space during the day or at night, if they can't stay at a shelter. Green said at the time the hubs were expected to open in October. CBC News asked for an interview with Green on Wednesday, but spokesperson Rebecca Howland said it wasn't possible. Howland said in her email the department has started forming "enhanced outreach teams" and 24/7 drop-in service hubs across the province. "One of the roles of these hubs will be part of an extreme weather response," Howland said. "Security is also a component of the hubs." https://lnkd.in/g89W93kU

Tent city protesters don't want to go into shelters. These complaints we obtained explain why There is no minimum standard for shelters in N.L., but a consultant has been hired to change that. https://lnkd.in/dxVP5h3g

Toronto unveils winter homelessness strategy as shelter system already stretched beyond capacity. 4 warming centres will be activated every time the weather drops below -5 C this winter, city says. After a summer and fall that saw refugee claimants with nowhere to go sleeping on downtown streets, Toronto officials say the demand for beds will increase this winter. Already, Canada's largest shelter system is turning people away.  As of October, the city is sheltering 10,700 people and turning away approximately 275 others on a daily basis, said Gord Tanner, the city's director of homelessness initiatives, while sharing the city's winter homelessness plan on Tuesday. About 40 per cent of the people in shelters are refugee claimants, Tanner said, and the city doesn't have a clear picture of how many more Torontonians might need shelter space as temperatures continue to drop.  "When cold weather makes living outside difficult and potentially life-threatening, we want to be able to accommodate the significant need," he said. "But the city's emergency shelter system is at capacity, our shelter system is full, and the strain on the system is only increasing." Tanner says the city is mobilizing its limited resources to expand services from November through April. The city will activate four warming centres and a 24-hour respite site this winter, he said, and shelter beds will be moved closer together to make space for about 180 new spaces. Another 275 housing "opportunities" will be opened up through supportive homes and available social housing units, the city said in a news release accompanying the announcement. https://lnkd.in/dFjYTDjk