FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 25 2013

Edmonton’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness gets people housed:

2,325 Edmontonians who were on the streets now have a place to call home

Edmonton, AB. Edmonton’s Homeless Commission today released its Year 4 Update to the city’s Plan to End Homelessness. The results show real progress in meeting our goals:

  • 1,664 permanent homes have been secured for 2,325 people who had been homeless – the vast majority of these are in the private rental market in buildings across the city.
  • 86% of the people housed have held on to their housing successfully, with the supports that they need.
  • The October 2012 Homeless Count conducted by Homeward Trust volunteers found 2,147 homeless Edmontonians – 29% fewer than the 2008 count, which was right before the launch of our 10 Year Plan.
  • Government of Alberta funding for homeless supports continued to rise.

Mayor Stephen Mandel congratulates all the partners working together to address housing and support needs in the progress that has been made. “But,” he adds, “we need to intensify our efforts if we are to end chronic homelessness by 2019. There are still 2,147 people who are homeless in this city. And of those, 13% are children and youth. That's an unacceptable number of kids who don’t have the basic necessity in life of a permanent, secure home.”

The Year 4 Update details other hurdles that must be overcome as we move into Year 5 of implementing the Plan to End Homelessness:

  • We need capital funding to build permanent supportive housing for people with intensive needs.
  • The rental market in Edmonton is tightening as vacancy rates drop and rents rise.
  • The Housing First teams are working at full capacity and have limited space for new clients.
  • A greater focus on prevention is necessary to reduce the numbers of people falling in to homelessness.

Hal Danchilla is the Chair of the Edmonton Homeless Commission. Danchilla says that the Commission’s job “is to ensure that everyone fully understands the importance of ending homelessness as we begin the hard work tackling these barriers. Ending homelessness is not just the right thing to do - it also makes economic sense. Because each chronic homeless person costs the tax payer around $100,000 on the streets, but $30,000 or less to house and support.”

For more details on the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness or the Year 4 Update please contact:

Hal Danchilla: 780.975.4462

Chair, Edmonton Homeless Commission

Or

Jim Taylor: 780.424.4085

Vice-chair, Edmonton Homeless Commission