Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence and Yasir Naqvi, Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre announced $79.1 million in funding for the new Veteran Homelessness Program.
This program will provide housing supports and services to veterans experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Government of Canada is committed to ending chronic homelessness among veterans, and this new program is a significant step towards achieving that goal.
The Veteran Homelessness Program is part of the National Housing Strategy, a suite of federal housing initiatives designed to improve access to affordable and safe housing for all Canadians. The program will provide $72.9 million in funding for rent supplements and wrap-around services, such as counselling and treatment for substance use, through its Services and Supports Stream. In addition, the Capacity Building Stream will provide $6.2 million in funding to support research on veteran homelessness and capacity building.
Eligible recipients, including veteran-serving organizations, can apply to either or both funding streams through an online portal on the Infrastructure Canada website. The portal will open for 8 weeks beginning on April 28, 2023 and is expected to close on June 23, 2023.
