QUÉBEC CITY, QUEBEC, February 29, 2008 - Mr. Luc Harvey, Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today announced Government of Canada funding for Trame d'Actions et d'Initiatives Concertées (TRAIC) Jeunesse in order to better serve the needs of youth at risk of homelessness and youth in crisis.
"The Government of Canada is delivering on its commitment to help individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless," said Mr. Harvey. "I would like to congratulate Trame d'Actions et d'Initiatives Concertées Jeunesse, which provides support and assistance to youth who need it, by providing them with the right support and services to lead them away from homelessness."
Through the Homelessness Partnership Initiative (HPI), the cornerstone of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), the Government of Canada provided $275,148 in funding to Trame d'Action et d'Initiatives Concertées Jeunesse. This funding will enable the organization to continue the activities it began in April 2007 and to maintain the positions of two street workers, a clinical co ordinator and a co ordination assistant.
As part of this project, the organization will maintain and improve direct services to troubled youth, as well as strengthen ties between community and public organizations. TRAIC Jeunesse supports homeless youth and youth at risk of becoming homeless by developing services and activities tailored to their needs and helping them integrate socially into the community.
Through the HPS, the Government of Canada is implementing concrete measures to address homelessness and is providing $269.6 million over two years to help communities across Canada combat homelessness more effectively.
In January 2008, the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec signed a collaborative agreement with regard to the designated community and outreach community components of the HPI. This agreement takes into account the ways in which the HPI complements the Government of Quebec's programs and policies to address homelessness.
With Budget 2008, the Government is committed to helping those who need the care and support of their fellow Canadians by providing $110 million to the Mental Health Commission of Canada to support innovative demonstration projects to develop best practices to help Canadians facing mental health and homelessness challenges.
For more information on the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, please visit www.homelessness.gc.ca .
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