February 5, 2013
The Hon. Diane Finley,
Minister of Human Resources and Social Development;
House of Commons,
Ottawa, ON., K1A 0A6
RE: Bill C-400 to Implement a National Housing Strategy
Dear Minister Finley:
The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) is a national organization that works towards strengthening and promoting the profession as well as advancing pro-active approaches to addressing issues relevant to social work practice in Canada. In this regard CASW has recently focussed much of its attention in developing awareness of the overall savings realized when investments in the social determinants of health are coordinated and made accountable.
To this end, CASW has followed closely the 2008 Government of Canada investment of $110 million through a funding agreement between Health Canada and the Mental Health Commission of Canada to support a five-year demonstration project to evaluate what services and systems best help people experiencing serious mental illness and homelessness. The documented experience of the Housing First approach of At Home/Chez Soi clearly demonstrates that collaboration in addressing the social determinants of health across government sectors and among different service providers at the program and the individual level results in positive steps forward for participants and a strong return on investment for government.
CASW urges the Government of Canada to commit to renewed funding for At Home/Chez Soi. CASW also encourages the government to apply the knowledge gained from investing in Housing First to drastically improve Canada's approach to homelessness, affordable house, and social policy. Housing First can be implemented across Canada.
To this end, CASW is highly supportive of the Government of Canada demonstrating its commitment to addressing homelessness and affordable housing in Canada by voting in favour of Bill C-400 (Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act) currently before the Parliament of Canada.
The Government of Canada is aware that most of the provinces and territories have adopted both poverty reduction plans and mental health strategies. Accessibility to affordable and adequate housing has also been strongly expressed as a top priority by the Indigenous peoples of Canada. With Affordable Housing Agreements due to expire in 2014, the time is now for the federal government to bring all the stakeholders together to create and commit to a collaborative strategy to address the crisis of homelessness and inadequate housing in Canada.
Thank you in advance for your consideration in committing to continued funding for At Home/Chez Soi and for making Bill C-400 a priority for the Government of Canada.
Sincerely,
Morel Caissie, MSW, RSW
CASW President
cc.
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C.,
Prime Minister of Canada
The Honourable Thomas Mulcair
Leader of the Official Opposition and New Democratic Party of Canada
The Honourable Bob Rae
Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
Ms. Chris Charlton, M.P. Hamilton Mountain
NDP Critic, HRDC for Housing
Mr. Rodger Cuzner, M.P. Cape Breton - Canso
Liberal Critic, HRDC for Housing
