Hamilton officials call Carney’s plan to end homelessness ‘doable’

Prime Minister Mark Carney offered more details Friday on his plan to end homelessness within 10 years.

He was highlighting the measures as his government tries to sell Thursday’s budget to Canadians.

The news is being welcomed in Hamilton, where the new mayor-elect says this could be a turning point in putting an end to homelessness in the city.

Hamilton officials say Carney’s plan is doable, and it could mean an end to the homelessness crisis that has troubled the city for years, if governments can make it work.

Hamilton City Hall says there are more 2,000 homeless people in the city, despite years of efforts to get people into housing.

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Nationally, the federal government estimates 65,000 people across the country are homeless, and the prime minister says he’s making it a priority.

“To help set Canada on a path to end homelessness over the next decade,” said Carney. “To get there we’re investing an unprecedented $30 billion in a co-ordinated national plan. We understand both how difficult this will be, but equally how imperative it is that we all succeed.”

The proposal was initially announced in the federal budget on Thursday.

“And ensuring that no Canadian is forced to sleep on the street, because they don’t have a place to call home,” said Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne.

And the goal is welcome here in Hamilton.

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“Well, that’s certainly a goal we can support because that’s something we know we have to address here in this community as well,” said Hamilton’s incoming mayor Keanin Loomis.

Hamilton’s incoming mayor says homelessness is still growing in the city, and making it a federal priority is a huge boost.

“The knowledge, now that we have this as a priority for them, that’s a huge leg up locally,” said Loomis. “When we start to plan long term about how we’re going to deal with what’s playing out on our streets here in Hamilton.”

The mayor-elect says he’s already met with non-profit community-based housing providers and there are thousands of potential homes that could be built if governments and social agencies come up with the money to get it done.

“We could put in front of the federal government almost 2,500 units for them to be able to fund,” said Loomis.

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The Good Shepherd, the housing and human services organization, says homelessness goes beyond a lack of housing.

“Here in Hamilton and right across the country, homelessness continues to be really a significant challenge in our community,” said Hadley Nelles with the Good Shepherd Centre. “Folks are facing a multitude of barriers to gain access to housing and a lot of complex issues, things like mental health and addictions, trauma, affordability and poverty.”

Nelles says it was encouraging to hear the prime minister come up with a strategy focusing on three things: helping people before they become homeless, providing housing, and looking after their health.

“So our plan is built on what we’ve learned works — help, housing, health,” said Carney.

The people in Hamilton say they need funding from the province as well as the federal government to make this work. There’s no response yet from Premier Doug Ford to Carney’s goal of eliminating homelessness in ten years.

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