Latest news with #EndHomelessnessSt.
CBC
27-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Homeless forgotten in federal election platforms, say advocates
Homeless people also not well represented due to barriers to voting While the federal parties have been campaigning on promises to build more homes in Canada, advocates say those most in need of those homes have been left out of the conversation. "I see a lot of … hopelessness around finding a stable housing space," said Nivethine Mahendran who works with Choices for Youth, an organization that works with homeless youth. Both the Liberal and Conservative parties have promised to build more homes and eliminate the GST for first-time home buyers. But buying a home isn't an option homeless youth even consider according to Mahendran. She says the concerns that she's hearing when she speaks with homeless youth are not being addressed in the election platforms. She says they're looking for more affordable rental options, rent control, and increased funding to non-profits to expand housing initiatives They would also like to see more single-occupancy housing options and other income support programs boosted, she said. "That money hasn't changed over the last couple of years, whereas rental prices have just skyrocketed," said Mahendran. And housing is a crucial part in dealing with other life issues. "Whether it's addictions or they're escaping domestic intimate partner violence," she said. "You need a stable space in order to make some kind of progress on the other issues you're handling." Homelessness not addressed The executive director of End Homelessness St. John's, Doug Pawson, says homeless individuals have strong interest in the federal election, and are watching for promises to improve housing. But he says homelessness isn't well addressed in any of the party platforms. "There's not really any mention of homelessness programming and investments in any of the platforms," said Pawson. Pawson said he would like to see promises to create more affordable rentals, more social housing, and incentives for landlords to boost supply. While Pawson says he is happy to see a commitment to housing development, the housing strategy needs to be more robust. "Building our way out of the crisis is only helpful for … more or less 1 segment of the population, not so much the vulnerable segment," said Pawson. Pawson said he would like to see commitments made by the parties to support Canada's current homelessness strategies, including the National Housing Strategy, and Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy. Pawson said the government's current target is to reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent, but noted that last year the parliamentary budget office reported that they would need to increase funding sevenfold to reach that target. "It's a bit disappointing not to see any acknowledgement of how important housing and homelessness in those two [strategies]" said Pawson. Barriers to voting Pawson and Mahendran say that they have seen an interest from homeless individuals in voting, but barriers to voting often means that demographic isn't well represented in electoral decisions. "Not everybody will have a current ID that shows an address or they may not have an address," said Pawson. "Voting, it can be probably a bit of a luxury for folks who are just struggling to survive day-to-day" He said homeless people might need someone to go with them to polling stations to vouch for them and verify their identity. Residents of transitional housing facility, Horizons at 106, will also receive a letter of confirmation of residence that they can also use. Transportation to polls is another barrier, said Pawson adding that End Homelessness will be providing transportation to polls for some individuals. At Choices for Youth, Mahendran says they try to empower homeless youth to go out and vote because participating in democracy often feels impossible for them. "They feel like it's a space outside of what they're experiencing," she said. "They don't feel like they can connect with the candidates." Mahendran says she encourages youth to support each other to vote. "And then also having them go into the community and say here, this is how you can kind of engage productively with civic engagement and democracy," she said.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Horizons at 106: Former hotel now fully staffed as transitional housing space
The provincial government and End Homelessness St. John's have converted the former Comfort Inn into a transitional housing facility called Horizons at 106. (End Homelessness St. John's) It's been over a year since the Newfoundland and Labrador government announced it would be leasing a hotel in St. John's as a new transitional housing facility. The facility — Horizons at 106 — had 73 residents as of Feb. 24 and successfully put 14 people into permanent housing. John Abbott — the former housing minister who has resigned from cabinet to run for leadership of the province's Liberal Party — provided an update on Monday in the House of Assembly. "The program is working. We are providing the supports that they need in a transitional housing facility," he said. "We will continue to invest in it and we have also looked at that model and how we can apply that across the province." However, advocate Mark Wilson says he has heard from some of the facility's residents, who say they have concerns about the number of security guards and access to visitation. He also said several people have submitted applications to live there and are still waiting on an answer. Wilson also says the hotel is an expensive Band-Aid solution. He said the provincial government is spending $13 million a year for the building's lease and facility operations. That number divided by 87 — the number of people who have lived in the facility in the last year — works out to be roughly $155,000 per person. Former housing minister John Abbott provided an update on the facility on Monday in the House of Assembly. (CBC) "You could buy a home here in this community for $220,000," said Wilson, pointing to the boarded up empty public housing unit behind him on Livingstone Street. "I think the houses here that are owned by N.L. Housing would probably house roughly 40 people." Facility in full swing But Horizons at 106 is in full operation. Simone Lilly, senior director of community investments at End Homelessness St. John's, says the progress has been incredible. "We're really thrilled to see, kind of, the project itself sort of now kind of reach its potential," she said, adding that he facility demonstrates the transition pathway for individuals stuck in the shelter system. "We're able to really work with folks to tackle some of those roots of the issues." The facility is fully staffed, with full-time and casual support workers, security, hospitality staff, health staff and administration. Housing advocate Mark Wilson says the facility is an expensive Band-Aid. (Mark Cumby/CBC) There is also now an area with computers and support needed to help individuals take the first step on their housing journey. Staff also help individuals with getting a government ID or with their taxes. They have other kinds of programming like recreation, resume clinics, budgeting and time management workshops. In terms of health-care services, residents have their needs assessed upon arrival. They then receive support through the facility's primary care clinics, blood collection services, occupational therapy and on-site social worker. Lilly said health-care supports don't end when residents leave Horizons. "We set someone up for success so their health needs could then continue to be supported," she said. The building has a capacity of 100 residents, and has steadily had around 75. Lilly says they're constantly evaluating their ability to take on more people. "We'd like to see 100, but I also want to make sure that whoever's there on site is feeling comfortable and the building can truly support that individual," she said. More housing stock needed With waitlists for housing and emergency shelters full across the city, Lilly says Horizons has played a role in unclogging the system. However, she says more housing stock is needed to solve homelessness. "I think we can't ignore the fact that there is a housing crisis that doesn't change … with one project like Horizons," said Lilly. Simone Lilly, senior director of community investments at End Homelessness St. John's, says Horizons at 106 has reached it's full potential, and provides a pathway for individuals stuck in the shelter system. (Mike Simms/CBC) Wilson says transitional housing, like Horizons, is only part of the solution, but isn't sure if it is helping tackle the housing crisis. He says he's also concerned about what will happen to the facility when the lease is up in December, 2026. In an emailed statement to CBC News, End Homelessness St. John's executive director Doug Pawson said the group is going to keep working with the government about what the future of Horizons will look like. "The goal is to continue housing and supporting folks, but knowing there's such a demand in shelter suggests this option can be transformative for those who most need additional health and housing support," Pawson said. CBC News asked the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation if it had an idea about what will happen when the lease is up. In a statement, spokesperson Marc Budgell said it is too early to make any decisions. "Horizons at 106 is a temporary interim measure while we are creating other long-term transitional and supportive housing options. This includes the recent expansion of The Gathering Place, which has begun accepting residents," Budgell said. Community consultations requested Wilson thinks there hasn't been enough public consultation by the government to come up with ways to tackle homelessness. "I can't think of any public consultation processes or meetings where the government has actually come out and said 'what can we do here?'" he said. PC MHA Joedy Wall also called for a public consultation in January, but it was aimed at the concerns from neighbourhood residents about an alleged rise in criminal activity in the area. Lilly said some of those problems have nothing to do with Horizons, but that End Homelessness St. John's is open to participating in a neighbourhood meeting. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Horizons at 106: Former hotel now fully staffed as transitional housing space
The provincial government and End Homelessness St. John's have converted the former Comfort Inn into a transitional housing facility called Horizons at 106. (End Homelessness St. John's) It's been over a year since the Newfoundland and Labrador government announced it would be leasing a hotel in St. John's as a new transitional housing facility. The facility — Horizons at 106 — had 73 residents as of Feb. 24 and successfully put 14 people into permanent housing. John Abbott — the former housing minister who has resigned from cabinet to run for leadership of the province's Liberal Party — provided an update on Monday in the House of Assembly. "The program is working. We are providing the supports that they need in a transitional housing facility," he said. "We will continue to invest in it and we have also looked at that model and how we can apply that across the province." However, advocate Mark Wilson says he has heard from some of the facility's residents, who say they have concerns about the number of security guards and access to visitation. He also said several people have submitted applications to live there and are still waiting on an answer. Wilson also says the hotel is an expensive Band-Aid solution. He said the provincial government is spending $13 million a year for the building's lease and facility operations. That number divided by 87 — the number of people who have lived in the facility in the last year — works out to be roughly $155,000 per person. Former housing minister John Abbott provided an update on the facility on Monday in the House of Assembly. (CBC) "You could buy a home here in this community for $220,000," said Wilson, pointing to the boarded up empty public housing unit behind him on Livingstone Street. "I think the houses here that are owned by N.L. Housing would probably house roughly 40 people." Facility in full swing But Horizons at 106 is in full operation. Simone Lilly, senior director of community investments at End Homelessness St. John's, says the progress has been incredible. "We're really thrilled to see, kind of, the project itself sort of now kind of reach its potential," she said, adding that he facility demonstrates the transition pathway for individuals stuck in the shelter system. "We're able to really work with folks to tackle some of those roots of the issues." The facility is fully staffed, with full-time and casual support workers, security, hospitality staff, health staff and administration. Housing advocate Mark Wilson says the facility is an expensive Band-Aid. (Mark Cumby/CBC) There is also now an area with computers and support needed to help individuals take the first step on their housing journey. Staff also help individuals with getting a government ID or with their taxes. They have other kinds of programming like recreation, resume clinics, budgeting and time management workshops. In terms of health-care services, residents have their needs assessed upon arrival. They then receive support through the facility's primary care clinics, blood collection services, occupational therapy and on-site social worker. Lilly said health-care supports don't end when residents leave Horizons. "We set someone up for success so their health needs could then continue to be supported," she said. The building has a capacity of 100 residents, and has steadily had around 75. Lilly says they're constantly evaluating their ability to take on more people. "We'd like to see 100, but I also want to make sure that whoever's there on site is feeling comfortable and the building can truly support that individual," she said. More housing stock needed With waitlists for housing and emergency shelters full across the city, Lilly says Horizons has played a role in unclogging the system. However, she says more housing stock is needed to solve homelessness. "I think we can't ignore the fact that there is a housing crisis that doesn't change … with one project like Horizons," said Lilly. Simone Lilly, senior director of community investments at End Homelessness St. John's, says Horizons at 106 has reached it's full potential, and provides a pathway for individuals stuck in the shelter system. (Mike Simms/CBC) Wilson says transitional housing, like Horizons, is only part of the solution, but isn't sure if it is helping tackle the housing crisis. He says he's also concerned about what will happen to the facility when the lease is up in December, 2026. In an emailed statement to CBC News, End Homelessness St. John's executive director Doug Pawson said the group is going to keep working with the government about what the future of Horizons will look like. "The goal is to continue housing and supporting folks, but knowing there's such a demand in shelter suggests this option can be transformative for those who most need additional health and housing support," Pawson said. CBC News asked the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation if it had an idea about what will happen when the lease is up. In a statement, spokesperson Marc Budgell said it is too early to make any decisions. "Horizons at 106 is a temporary interim measure while we are creating other long-term transitional and supportive housing options. This includes the recent expansion of The Gathering Place, which has begun accepting residents," Budgell said. Community consultations requested Wilson thinks there hasn't been enough public consultation by the government to come up with ways to tackle homelessness. "I can't think of any public consultation processes or meetings where the government has actually come out and said 'what can we do here?'" he said. PC MHA Joedy Wall also called for a public consultation in January, but it was aimed at the concerns from neighbourhood residents about an alleged rise in criminal activity in the area. Lilly said some of those problems have nothing to do with Horizons, but that End Homelessness St. John's is open to participating in a neighbourhood meeting. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
