Re: Veteran Homelessness - Assorted Topics

by **Joker** Fri 16 Apr 2021, 9:27 pm

Newly opened Veterans' House receives additional $1.5M in government funds

Apr 16, 2021

Veterans' House

by Marshall Tue 20 Apr 2021, 5:01 am

Edmonton homeless veterans supportive housing project set to begin construction

By Chris Chacon . Global News
Posted April 18, 2021

https://globalnews.ca/news/7767900/edmonton-home-for-heroes-housing-project/

by **Luxray** Sat 19 Jun 2021, 2:40 pm

'Sense of community:' Homes for veteran heroes to open Edmonton doors by October

Nicole Bergot
Publishing date: Jun 19, 2021

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/sense-of-community-homes-for-veteran-heroes-to-open-edmonton-doors-by-october

by **Proctor** Wed 29 Sep 2021, 10:48 am

Homes For Heroes

Homes For Heroes is coming to Kingston, Ontario. Our foundation builds tiny home communities with wrap around support services for Veterans who hare having challenging time transitioning back to civilian live. We encourage you to support our registered charity and those that have stood on guard for Canada. www.h4hf.ca

Homes For Heroes Foundation

by **Accer** Sun 07 Nov 2021, 2:19 pm

The Streets: Ottawa faces calls to step up on veteran homelessness

Published Sunday, November 7, 2021

Veteran Homelessness - Assorted Topics - Page 9 Image

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/the-streets-ottawa-faces-calls-to-step-up-on-veteran-homelessness-1.5655676

by TangoZulu77 Tue 09 Nov 2021, 2:51 pm

A look at the challenging task of Counting Canada's homeless veterans

Nov 07, 2021

https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/a-look-at-the-challenging-task-of-counting-canadas-homeless-veterans

by **Spider** Thu 11 Nov 2021, 9:34 am

Province pouring $2M into project to build tiny houses for homeless veterans

Nov 11, 2021

KINGSTON, Ont. — The Ontario government says it’s helping build tiny houses for homeless veterans.

The province says it’s investing $2 million in the Kingston-based project, and Housing Minister Steve Clark issued a special zoning order Wednesday allowing the site to be used for residential purposes without a long wait time.

Ontario says an-acre-and-a-half of land will be transformed into a “Veterans Village” in Kingston, complete with as many as 25 tiny, prefabricated homes.

Each unit will have a kitchen, bathroom, living room and sleeping area.

The homes are meant to be used as transitional housing for veterans experiencing homelessness.

The province says its investment includes the transfer of provincially owned land and funding for planning and off-site services.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2021.

NATIONAL POST

by **Diesel** Thu 25 Nov 2021, 4:27 pm

Canada providing affordable housing for veterans in Edmonton

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Nov 25, 2021

Housing for Veterans

by Jumper Thu 25 Nov 2021, 9:20 pm

11.25.2021

by **Forcell** Thu 27 Jan 2022, 11:16 am

81-year-old B.C. veteran living in car gets helping hand from fellow vets

By Amy Judd . Global News
Posted January 26, 2022

Global News

by **Falcon** Thu 19 May 2022, 4:05 pm

100-year-old veteran to walk 100km for homeless heroes

Published May 19, 2022

Veteran Homelessness - Assorted Topics - Page 9 Tom-hennessy-1-5910867-1652980589406

Second World War Veteran Tom Hennessy stands in Victoria Park in London, Ont. on May 19, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

CTV News

by **Braven** Thu 19 May 2022, 7:26 pm

'One is too many' homeless veterans on N.S. streets, committee told

May 19. 2022

Armed forces veterans are not immune to the housing crisis and homeless issue plaguing Nova Scotia.

“There are homeless veterans on the streets throughout Nova Scotia,” Erica Fleck, emergency manager for Halifax Regional Municipality, told the legislature’s standing committee on veterans affairs at a meeting Thursday at Province House.

“There aren’t many, but one is too many,” Fleck said.

“In the last year and a half, Nova Scotia Nunavut Command has advocated and represented 19 veterans who were shelter insecure,” said Valerie Mitchell-Veinotte of the Royal Canadian Legion.

“The moratorium on evictions during the pandemic was a great benefit to us, Mitchell-Veinotte said. “We identified the risk of homessness within the province of Nova Scotia as greater than actual homelessness. In that same period, 19 identified as shelter insecure and two were actually homeless. Those two individuals who were homeless were due to personal choices that they made and their homelessness was temporary and we were able to keep them in hotels until they could both make arrangements with family members, sort of take them in.”

Mitchell-Veinotte said the majority of veterans approach the legion for help before finding themselves out on the street and “we can provide the supports to have them stay” in their current housing situation and to provide the financial support to make that happen.

“Not only would we be providing rent, but making sure all of the utilities are paid, making sure that there is food security,” she said.

Mitchell-Veinotte said the legion deals with a “lot of families,” veterans affected by their situation along with independents and often a spouse.

Service officers with the legion try to identify any benefits that the veteran is entitled to and can apply for, she said.

Mitchell-Veinotte said Veterans Affairs Canada is much more responsive to providing emergency funding and transitional services than was the case in the past.

Tracey Taweel, deputy minister of community services, said that veterans have ensured the preservation of the county’s freedoms and values.

“It is important that we all do our part to support them as they transition from active service,” Taweel said.

“Having a place to live provides stability, security, and a sense of belonging,” she said.

Taweel said recent statistics show that from January 2021 to March 2022, less than two per cent of Nova Scotia’s homeless population were identified as veterans.

The department “does not have a program specifically for veterans, but we have services for all people who find themselves homeless and our staff will work with veterans to help them access additional federal services that are available to them,” she said.

Taweel said the department connects those experiencing homelessness with a housing support worker who will assess their needs and walk through the services available to them.

“This could include emergency shelter beds, income assistance options, rent supplements, housing search support, and even placement in permanent housing with wraparound supports.”

Debbie Lowther, CEO of Veterans Emergency Transition Services (VETS) Canada, said military members are willing to lay down their lives in service to their country and in so doing, develop incredible bonds with fellow members.

“This experience leaves some veterans reluctant to seek out or even accept help from civilian organizations as they don’t feel understood,” said Lowther, who heads an organization founded in Halifax in 2010 with the aim to provide immediate aid to veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP who are in crisis, at risk of becoming homeless or those who have already become homeless.

The organization has since evolved into a national, federally registered charity that that primarily depends on hundreds of volunteers across the country.

Lowther said veterans are burdened with the challenges that lead to civilian homelessness, such as poverty, housing affordability, job loss or instability, mental illness and addictions, physical health problems and family or intimate partner violence.

“They are also struggling with their transition from military to civilian life and feeling as though they have lost their identity and doing so without the social support network of people who understand them,” Lowther said.

She said 19 per cent of the thousands of requests for assistance that VETS has responded to over the years have come from Nova Scotia.

“To be clear, not all of those are homeless,” Lowther said. “The majority would fall into the at-risk category. This makes up the majority of our work, and we know that homeless prevention is crucial. It is much easier to keep someone in their home than to find new housing.”

Only eight per cent of the veterans that VETS has supported in Nova Scotia were experiencing absolute homelessness, she said. Thirteen per cent were emergency sheltered, 15 per cent were provisionally accommodated, 54 per cent were at risk of homelessness and 10 per cent were securely housed, meaning they came to VETS for other reasons aside from housing.

Taweel touted the provincial government’s 2022-23 budget that increased the investment in homelessness and supportive housing strategies by $16.7 million, allowing for the addition of 10 new housing support worker positions that bring’s the province’s total to 41.

Danielle Barkhouse, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Chester-St. Margarets asked the deputy minister for a progress report on The Overlook, the former Travelodge hotel in Dartmouth for which the province contributed $3.5 million toward the purchase price.

Taweel said “work has been underway” to renovate the Overlook that is to provide permanent, supportive housing for 60 individuals along with five units for respite care but supply shortages across the construction sector have slowed the project.

The province will pay $1.5 million annually for wraparound supportive services and programming options for the individuals housed there.

“It is a former hotel, we are converting it into basically individual apartments,” Taweel said, explaining the amount of work required to add kitchen facilities and appropriate programming space.

Saltwire