Summary of the Evaluation of Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy

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About the program

Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy was launched on April 1, 2019. The program supports community-based solutions aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. To that end, the program provides funding and support to:

• 114 community and regional organizations
• non-profit organizations
• Self-Governing First Nations and national or regional representatives of First Nations, the Métis Nation, and Inuit

Key findings and figures

• The program supported communities to implement a data-driven Coordinated Access system based on their needs. However, there is room to improve data capacity and buy-in from communities and funding recipients to implement Coordinated Access
• The program had ongoing engagement and collaboration with Indigenous partners. However, there is a need for improvement in the engagement with Indigenous partners to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples experiencing or at risk of homelessness
• Projects under regionally delivered funding streams are contributing to placing individuals experiencing homelessness in more stable housing and providing prevention services to individuals at risk of homelessness. However, there are some challenges demonstrating consistent progression towards homelessness prevention and reduction
• Over the first 2 years, from 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021, funded projects reported:
  • 31,928 individuals were placed in more stable housing (program cumulative target of 71,500 individuals by March 2022)
  • 62,349 individuals received a prevention and shelter diversion intervention (program cumulative target of 46,600 individuals by March 2022)

Recommendations

1. The program provides further technical capacity and support to communities and funding recipients for the implementation of a data-driven Coordinated Access system
2. With input from Indigenous partners, the program provides further support for early and meaningful collaboration and engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners
3. The program should explore opportunities for greater alignment of homelessness and housing-related initiatives

To learn more, read the full report for the Evaluation of Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.