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endhomelessnessyeg.ca | homewardtrust.ca

Over 22,000 Edmonton households spend more than 50% of their income on rent

Renting a 1 bdr suite for a single parent receiving income support would require 106% of their income.

The figure is 134% for an individual renting a bachelor suite

25% 50% 75% 100% 125%

AFFORDABILITY GAP

Severe gaps in housing affordability contribute to loss of housing and people becoming trapped in homelessness.

Housing

LOOKING FORWARD Permanent Supportive Housing is essential to our efforts to end homelessness. In fact, the lack of these units is one of the biggest factors delaying local progress. Over 900 new units of PSH were called for in the 2017 Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, and after one year, 25 have been added through the opening of Balwin Place.

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is an evidence-based intervention that links permanent, affordable housing with flexible, voluntary support services to assist with housing retention and independent living. There are many kinds of housing with supports in our community—it is important to distinguish PSH as a specialized program designed as stable housing that meets the support needs of people with a history of homelessness.

Permanent Supportive Housing is more than a program – it is a part of the neighbourhood.

In October, residents and staff held a small community BBQ at the building called “Morning Fire Protector” (Petapan iskotew onakateyimowewof in Cree), a PSH project focused on Indigenous families. The intent was to bring the people together and strengthen relationships in the neighbourhood.

Over the span of two hours, around 40 people stopped by to grab a plate of food. Many laughs were shared and new connections were made. From babies to seniors, neighbours came together on a beautiful fall day to break bread and have a few hours away from their daily routines.

Through events like these, we see it truly takes a community to come together to create the lasting relationships that strengthen and enrich the neighbourhood as a whole. We were very pleased to welcome the residents and businesses of Beverly at Morning Fire Protector.

A Part of the NeighbourhoodPermanent Supportive Housing

Different PSH models exist to meet target needs in community, but all PSH has the following characteristics:

+ Stable and affordable housing where tenancy is not time-limited

+ Targeted to individuals who have a history of homelessness and housing instability – referrals to PSH program spaces are managed through Coordinated Access

+ Tenants have leases and self-contained apartments

+ Onsite program staff support residents with tenancy management and connect them to other supports and services as required

+ Active case planning, neighbourhood integration, and a harm reduction approach to services

Edmonton has a pressing need for more:

+ Affordable housing – subsidized, with rents below market rates

+ Social housing – deep subsidy units, typically with rents scaled to tenants’ income

+ Permanent Supportive Housing – affordable housing with supports for people with a history of homelessness

226 current units of PSH (25 of those just added with Balwin Place), 900 new units are required by 2023.

The need for capital investment is urgent. There are upcoming opportunities to get projects underway, including:

+ The National Housing Strategy, which targets a 50% reduction in chronic homelessness. The Government of Canada is making capital funding available through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund.

+ The provincial Affordable Housing Strategy, which has committed $1.2 billion to affordable housing initiatives over 7 years.

+ City of Edmonton affordable housing priorities. In 2019, the City of Edmonton plans to:

• Make four sites available for Permanent Supportive Housing projects

• Formalize procedures for City investment in affordable housing

• Increase public awareness and engagement on the benefits of affordable housing

73% of tenants in PSH maintain their housing for at least a year

Balwin Place Units

New Units Needed

Current Units

73+27+A73%

226+25+900=

There are around 4,500 Social Housing units in Edmonton.

More than 6,000 households are on the waitlist for social housing in Edmonton, and 300 new applications are received per month.

6,0004,500

A PLACE TO CALL HOME COMMUNITY UPDATE

The Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness calls for a range of evidence-based program models delivered by community partners.

FOCUS ON INDIGENOUS HOMELESSNESSIndigenous peoples continue to be vastly over-represented amongst people experiencing homelessness. Our approach places continued emphasis on working with Indigenous communities to address this stark disparity. The homeless-serving sector also recognizes that Indigenous homelessness is a colonial legacy—programming must demonstrate a commitment to Indigenous culture and reconciliation.

Edmonton’s focus on Indigenous Homelessness includes:

+ Two Indigenous Housing First teams, operated by Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society and Native Counselling Services of Alberta. A new Indigenous Youth Housing First team will be added in 2019.

Supports

PROGRAM MODEL FOCUS 2018 SERVICE PROVIDERS

Youth Housing First Youth aged 13 - 24 e4c

Edmonton John Howard Society

Assertive Community Treatment

Interdisciplinary clinical supports to address health, mental health, and addiction

Boyle McCauley Health Centre

Alberta Health Services

Permanent Supportive Housing

Combines affordable housing with tenancy support and case management

Alberta Health Services

Bissell Centre

George Spady Society

Homeward Trust

Niginan Housing Ventures

Schizophrenia Society of Alberta

The Mustard Seed

Rapid Rehousing Housing and short-term support for a quick exit from homelessness

e4c

Hope Mission

Intensive Case Management Chronic homelessness Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society

Bissell Centre

Boyle Street Community Services

e4c

George Spady Society

Hope Mission

Jasper Place Wellness

Native Counselling Services of Alberta

The Mustard Seed

YMCA

Housing First

Homeward Trust coordinates a range of supports for the Housing First programming delivered in community. This includes:

Training, Frontline staff have access to regular and core training such as Housing First 101, Motivational Interviewing, and Indigenous Cultural Awareness, as well as many other opportunities to deepen knowledge and skills. In 2018 Homeward Trust has convened more than 50 training sessions with cumulative attendance of around 900 staff.

Programs such as the Clinical Access Team and the Financial Services Hub that connect Housing First participants with critical services and supports.

of Edmontonians identify as Indigenous

of Edmontonians experiencing homelessness identify as Indigenous

6%57%

A common database that allows referrals and sharing of program data.

Find, a social enterprise furniture bank that provides furnishings and housewares to set up apartments.

Coordinated Access as a central hub for screenings, intake, prioritization, and referrals, using Edmonton’s By Name List of people experiencing homelessness.

Landlord Relations support to access units, address tenancy, issues and maintain positive relationships.

Financial resources to access housing units, as well as to mitigate costs incurred by Housing First tenants that could cause eviction or limit program access.

Currently, 25 different organizations are contracted to deliver over 50 programs. Programming under the Plan uses a Housing First philosophy.

+ Housing First teams are required to serve a minimum of 50% participants who identify as Indigenous. Resources are available for any program participant needing to access ceremony, Elders, or traditional practices.

+ Two Indigenous Permanent Supportive Housing programs delivered at Ambrose Place and Morning Fire Protector.

+ Mandatory cultural awareness training for all frontline staff.

+ Experiential learning opportunities to familiarize program staff with Indigenous ceremony and traditional practice.

HOUSING FIRST 2018

63+37+A61% of people housed identify

as Indigenous

61%

Housing First helps people move from homelessness into stable housing as quickly as possible—and ensures supports are in place for them to remain housed. A proven approach used nationally and internationally, Housing First has become firmly rooted in our values as a community.

PROGRAM TYPESHousing First programs work to assess needs, to help people to access housing, and to provide case management support. Different program models target different community needs, including:

Supporting the Sector

A PLACE TO CALL HOME COMMUNITY UPDATE

Preventing future homelessness is a key component to achieving our long-term goal of a functional zero end to homelessness.

Prevention

FUNCTIONAL ZEROWe can’t prevent people from ever losing their housing. Achieving “functional zero” means that experiences of homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Working as a system, we can help to stabilize people in housing, prevent evictions, and intervene quickly when people do find themselves homeless. This reduces inflow into homelessness and ensures it is as brief as possible.

ADDRESSING INFLOW THROUGH DIVERSIONMany people move in and out of homelessness in our city. An estimated 1% of Edmontonians (11,000) will experience homelessness over the course of a year. For most, this will be a short-term experience. But many more are at risk. For example, Edmonton’s 2018 Homeless Count identified more than 400 people on a single night staying within correctional or health facilities who had no fixed address.

It is important that our system is able to intervene at critical times to divert people from becoming entrenched in homelessness. Diversion can involve connecting people to income or community resources, assisting with a housing plan, or identifying supports to prevent an eviction.

There are a number of service providers already doing this diversion work in community—and doing it well. In 2019, we will bring together strong local diversion practices and invest in expanded capacity for these kinds of housing supports. Diversion services are often needed most where people are looking for help with housing, such as in shelters.

SUPPORTED REFERRALSTo enhance Edmonton’s prevention measures, Homeward Trust initiated the Supported Referral pilot project in 2017.

Supported Referrals makes one-time financial resources and furnishings available to partner agencies to help their clients access housing. This helps agencies and their clients overcome some of the most common barriers to housing, such as saving for a damage deposit or not having anything to furnish a home.

YOUTH HOMELESSNESSYouth who experience homelessness are at greater risk of experiencing long-term homelessness in later life. Addressing youth homelessness is critical as part of overall prevention efforts

A long-standing Youth Systems Committee advises on the implementation of our Community Strategy to End Youth Homelessness in Edmonton. Recent efforts have included:

+ In 2018, Youth Housing First teams operated by e4c and Edmonton John Howard Society housed and supported more than 80 youth

+ Short-term supportive housing available at Loft and NOVA

+ Safe Spaces program operated by e4c for homeless youth who identify as LGBTQ2S+

+ Two service access “Hubs” piloted in 2017 to strengthen support connections and co-locate services

Looking Forward

In 2019, efforts to address youth homelessness with expand further:

+ A new Indigenous Youth Housing First team will be added

+ Expanded Family and Natural Supports programming to reconnect youth with family

+ Investment in Indigenous organizations to implement innovative projects that address the over-representation of Indigenous youth experiencing homelessness

168 households have already been housed through the following agencies providing Supported Referrals:

+ The Africa Center

+ Bissell Centre

+ Boyle Street Community Services

+ The Brain Care Center

+ The Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation

Sherwood is 22 years-old. He holds a full-time job and at the end of his workday comes home to his very own place.

Life wasn’t always so bright for Sherwood. He struggled with alcohol addiction and was experiencing homelessness on the streets of Edmonton when he walked through the doors of Youth Empowerment Support Services (YESS). He was referred to an alcohol addiction program, which he successfully completed, and he gain housing at The LOFT. Funded by Homeward Trust, the LOFT provides a safe, affordable, and supportive living environment for young male

I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people and programs at Homeward Trust.

SHERWOOD M.

Sherwood’s Story

Homeless youth are:

clients experiencing or at risk of homelessness who are committed to sobriety. After several months, Sherwood applied to Homeward Trust. The Youth Housing First program worked with him to find a place and the Edmonton John Howard Society provided further support.

He is now in a 2-bedroom apartment with a roommate and says it’s been great having a place of his own. More importantly, Sherwood has been able to mark two years of sobriety, as well find employment at a restaurant where he has learned valuable skills in the service industry.

52+48+A63+37+A Indigenous

Female52%

61%

180 youth are currently homeless, which represents about 10% of Edmonton’s By Name List.

+ Catholic Social Services

+ e4c

+ George Spady Society

+ HIV Edmonton

+ Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women

+ The Mustard Seed

+ Norwood Child and Family Services

+ Pregnancy Pathways

A PLACE TO CALL HOME COMMUNITY UPDATE

Access

An efficient homeless-serving system matches people as quickly as possible with housing support according to their needs.

With so many people moving in and out of homelessness, it is important to apply our limited resources where they are needed most.

EDMONTON’S BY NAME LIST The By Name List (BNL) is a real-time registry of people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton. This BNL facilitates coordinated referrals to Housing First programs through Coordinated Access. The list also tracks progress in ending chronic homelessness and supports planning for the future by demonstrating trends in real-time.

COORDINATED ACCESSCoordinated Access is a community-wide system that helps people experiencing homelessness to access housing and supports needed to permanently end their homelessness. Coordinate Access matches people who are experiencing homelessness to the right supports for housing, based on their needs.

Coordinated Access incorporates several key elements:

+ Access to services through Edmonton’s By Name List

+ Common assessment and prioritization

+ Referral to housing supports

+ Diversion services to connect people with housing resources outside of Housing First

There are now more than 60 access points in the community to identify and screen people experiencing homelessness.

ASSERTIVE OUTREACHThere are different kinds of outreach in community. Assertive, housing-focused outreach aligns with Edmonton’s Housing First approach and is a best practice in ending homelessness.

More than 400 people have been identified who are currently “sleeping rough” or without any safe shelter as of November.

There are more than 30 Housing Outreach positions in the community working to help people access housing and connecting them with Housing First team supports. Housing-focused outreach assertively engages people sleeping outdoors to quickly provide access to housing and supports

The sector is always evolving outreach practice to better serve people experiencing chronic homelessness. For example, in 2017 Edmonton piloted a “hotspot” approach to connect with people sleeping rough. This approach involves the co-location of screening, homelessness diversion services, Housing First intake, and housing planning at a single location.

EMERGENCY SHELTER & SHORT-TERM ACCOMMODATIONSWhen someone loses their housing, it is important to provide safe temporary accommodations, as well as connections to services and supports to help end their experience of homelessness.

Emergency shelters and short-term options such as transitional housing play a critical role in helping to ensure safety and to manage crisis when someone experiences homelessness. Ultimately, these short-term services are most effective when they are closely aligned with housing resources that can resolve a person’s experience of homelessness for good.

Under a Housing First philosophy, the role of emergency services and shelters should be to facilitate a rapid exit out of homelessness and into permanent housing.

In recent years, there has been capacity available in Edmonton’s emergency shelter system. While some facilities are consistently full, as a system there have been spaces available.

+ On average over the past year, the system has been operating at 81% of its funded capacity – this means on a given night there are an average of 110 spaces available in shelters

Edmonton’s primary emergency shelter providers are:

+ Hope Mission

+ e4c (Women’s Emergency Accommodation Centre)

+ George Spady Society

Each of these agencies also operates Housing First programming. These teams are focused on housing and support for long-term shelter users.

I worked with Emma in the Housing First program for almost a year as I was not in a mental state to move forward in the beginning. She was so patient and when it came time to look was very respectful and on top of things. Although it took us a little time and a lot of viewings (I was a little picky) she helped to find a forever home.

HOUSING FIRST PARTICIPANT

On average over the last year, the system has been operating at 81% of its funded capacity.

2,140 people were added to the By Name List of people experiencing homelessness in 2018. 822 were referred to Housing First teams. The current By Name List stands at about 1800 people.

A PLACE TO CALL HOME COMMUNITY UPDATE

81% On a given night there are 110 spaces available

in shelter.

No single agency, program, or tactic can end homelessness. It takes a movement, a community working together.

Collective Efforts

Community engagement and participation is integral to ending homelessness in Edmonton. To make meaningful progress, we also have to knit together different systems and programs toward common goals.

SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND BUILDING AWARENESSHomeward Trust and its partners host a number of events and community initiatives throughout the year, engaging over a thousand volunteers, dozens of community partners, and countless community members annually. In 2018, some of these events were:

+ Research Symposium

+ Homeless Count

+ Homeless Connect (x2)

+ Homeward Walk | Run

+ Annual Indigenous Gathering

+ Annual Community Update

+ Recognizing Outstanding Organizations and People in Housing (ROOPH) Awards

KNOWLEDGE AND EVIDENCEThe Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness is data-driven and focuses on evidence-based practices. Through strategic alignment with local, national, and international efforts to end homelessness, Edmonton is ahead of the curve in the application of real-time data and leading practice—leadership that has been recognized nationally and internationally.

We are working with the Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH), a collective of global partners with the goal of eradicating street homelessness in 150 cities around the world by 2030. As a foundation for this objective, several Vanguard Cities have been named around the world to lead the way in demonstrating how this goal can be achieved. In November 2017, Edmonton became the first named Vanguard City.

Edmonton also has taken a leadership role within the 20,000 Homes Campaign, a national change movement focused on housing 20,000 of Canada’s most vulnerable people. A related initiative, Built for Zero, has engaged leaders from our sector in enhancing a focus on real-time data and testing practice improvements.

IT TAKES A COMMUNITYMany voices guide and inform our collective efforts to end homelessness. Homeward Trust ensures external advice and perspectives inform all of our work through three indentured committees.

Project Review Committee: responsible for reviewing and recommending projects submitted to Homeward Trust for funding and other kinds of support.

Indigenous Advisory Council: advises Homeward Trust on matters relating to Indigenous peoples, while incorporating Indigenous perspectives into the work the end homelessness in Edmonton.

Community Plan Committee: responsible for informing Homeward Trust’s work from a community planning perspective, based on data, research, community consultation, and different community perspectives.

RELATIONSHIPSThere are a number of key tables and initiatives in the sector that help to advise, shape, and advance work under the Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness:

Youth Systems Committee: born out of the Community Plan to End Youth Homelessness in Edmonton, this committee is made up of local youth agencies, government, shelter providers, and others committed to create system change and implement the youth plan.

Housing First Advisory Council: key leaders of funded agencies delivering Housing First meet to continue to advance and improve program implementation.

Research Committee: comprised of experts, academics and community leaders, oversees a research agenda to advance our knowledge and practice as a community. Since 2009, this committee has helped Homeward Trust to invest over $700,000 in to community-based research projects.

Homelessness Data Committee: provides expert knowledge on the use of data to advance the work of ending homelessness. Its key purpose is to advise Homeward Trust and its partners on ways to make data more accessible, reliable, transparent and impactful.

Winter Emergency Response: more than 30 organizations from across Edmonton come together to ensure people can access warm, safe spaces and shelter during extreme weather.

Related Initiatives

The work to end homelessness must give and gain strength from related community initiatives such as:

+ EndPoverty Edmonton

+ Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness

+ RECOVER – Edmonton’s Urban Wellness Initiative

+ Homeless on Public Lands

+ Capital Region Interfaith Housing Initiative

+ The Heavy Users of Service Project

+ YEG Youth Connect

+ Rainbow Alliance for Youth of Edmonton

INDIGENOUS RELATIONSAs an organization that coordinates community responses to ending homelessness in amiskwaciwâskahikan in Treaty No. 6 territory, Homeward Trust acknowledges the impacts of colonialism on Indigenous people and as a driver of Indigenous homelessness. Indigenous Relations is an important aspect of our work. Through participation in ceremony, hosting of events, advising on programming, and relationships with community, Homeward Trust ensures that Indigenous perspectives and community members are directly included in the work of ending homelessness.

Highlights of Indigenous Relations in 2018 include:

+ The annual Indigenous Gathering brings together Indigenous agencies, service providers, organizations, and businesses together to share knowledge and speak to experiences of urban Indigenous housing and homelessness

+ Coordination of training opportunities for Homeward Trust staff as well as community partners on Indigenous themes including diversity, reconciliation, and treaty rights

+ Relationship building with Elders, knowledge keepers, and Indigenous communities

+ Active participation on a number of committees, including:

• Edmonton Police Services Aboriginal Advisory Council

• EndPoverty Edmonton’s Indigenous Circle

• Indigenous Cultural Wellness Center Steering Committee

• The All Nations Network

A PLACE TO CALL HOME COMMUNITY UPDATE

LIVED EXPERIENCEThe voices of people who have lived experience of homelessness have been key sources of guidance and feedback that we use to inform our work – including the development of the Updated Plan. Homeward Trust regularly engages those with lived experience. During the past year, this has included:

+ The Participant Advisory Committee, made up of those who have participated in a Housing First program in Edmonton.

+ The Youth Advisory Group, comprised of youth ages 15-24 who provide lived experience perspectives on programs and planning related to youth homelessness.

+ These groups have provided feedback on national surveys, offered input on the refinement of Youth Housing First teams in Edmonton, and co-presented or participated in conferences across Canada.

+ People with lived experience were directly engaged for their perspectives on how to best conduct the Homeless Count planned for April 2018, including the development of survey materials, methods of compensation and training of volunteers.

+ Lived experience volunteers informed the development of the survey being offered to people within Housing First programs. Homeward Trust issues this survey annually to all program participants to better understand and improve their experiences.