LEAD IDENTIFIED FOR HOMELESSNESS INTERVENTION PROJECT

VICTORIA – The Province is officially launching the Homelessness Intervention Project, making a single government ministry responsible for co-ordinating provincial and community social housing and support services, including health and income assistance for the chronically homeless in five communities.

Premier Gordon Campbell has appointed Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman to take the lead role to ensure that services for homeless individuals with severe mental illness and/or addictions are delivered in an organized, fiscally responsible and timely manner to reduce chronic homelessness and integrate service delivery.

“As we work with communities to address homelessness, we must co-ordinate our resources and use them as effectively as possible so that homeless British Columbians obtain the full benefit,” said Coleman. “Through greater collaboration, we can ensure our efforts go further and work faster to target assistance where it is needed most.”

“We are committed to ensuring access to quality health care for every British Columbian,” said Health Services Minister George Abbott. “The Homelessness Intervention Project is an important step towards ensuring homeless people can get support to lead a healthier and safer life.”

The goal of this project is to reduce chronic homelessness. The Homelessness Intervention Project will align several government ministries, health authorities, the non-profit sector and other agencies that address chronic homelessness and establish an immediate integrated homelessness intervention project, which will include:

· Priority access to health and social services for the chronically homeless in five communities (Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria, Kelowna and Prince George).

· The deputy minister of housing and social development, as the executive lead for the cross-ministry integrated project.

· A performance and management plan, including performance targets so we can measure our progress across the province in dealing with homelessness.

Integrated, cross-agency teams will find housing and support services for chronically homeless people through coordinating resources, data, policy and client information. The project will improve the information base for existing services and service gaps and enable resources to be focused where they will be most effective. As well, it will improve information on outcomes and provide for enhanced reporting. Meetings in the communities have already been initiated and program frameworks are being put in place. The Ministry of Housing and Social Development will have the lead accountability.

“Establishing integrated service delivery is essential to Victoria, and our government wants to make the best possible effort to work aggressively to address homelessness,” said Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development Ida Chong, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head. “This is a necessary and first course of action to help people get off the streets and get the help they need.”

Initially, the outreach teams will be tasked with two basic goals: to immediately reduce homelessness in these communities and to create a more integrated, synchronized approach to the delivery of services to the homeless.

“It is vital that we break down the historic silos and embrace a coordinated approach to providing the housing and supports people need,” said Dean Fortin, Mayor of Victoria and co-chair of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness. “The challenge is complex, but we need to work together if we’re going to make a real difference.”

Over time, the government will put in place a management system with enhanced reporting that will enable communities to maximize and prioritize outreach, housing and support services for the chronically homeless. Through this approach, the communities will be in a better position to address the client population that is the most difficult to house: chronically homeless with severe mental health and addictions complications.

The targeted client population is estimated at approximately 2,000 for the five communities. To kick start the project, BC Housing has made 250 units of housing available immediately, with approximately 40 of those in Victoria.

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1 backgrounder(s) attached.
Media contact:	Paul Woolley Communications Director Ministry of Housing and Social Development 250 387-6489

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