August 20, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RIMOUSKI, Quebec - Residents of Bas-Saint-Laurent will get help to improve their employability and to help stop the cycle of poverty and homelessness, thanks to three new federall ly funded projects. The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister responsible for the Quebec Region, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources an d Social Development.
"We are proud to support community efforts that help find local solutions to local problems," said Minister Cannon. "Through these investments, we will help individuals from the region improve their living conditions and find their rightful place in society."
During an announcement at the Port de Rimouski, Minister Cannon announced that the Government of Canada will provide more than $165,000 in funding to three Bas-Saint-Laurent organizations. Specifically, Action Tr avail Rimouski-Neigette will receive $70,170, the Corporation de la Maison des jeunes de Trois-Pistoles will receive $49,980; and the Centre de prévention du suicide et d'intervention de crise du Bas-St-Laurent will receive $45,207.
The Actio n Travail Rimouski-Neigette project will allow 10 young people to gain new skills by creating a community garden, in which they will grow produce to be distributed to disadvantaged people in the region through local organizations and community meals. The Corporation de la Maison des jeunes de Trois-Pistoles project will support the hiring of two individuals to work with street youth in the regional municipal county of Les Basques to help vulnerable young people aged 12 to 30 who do not usually take advant age of health and employment services.
Service Canada is funding these projects through its Skills Link program, o ne of Canada's youth employment programs, which helps youth facing obstacles to employment gain the skills, knowledge, and work experience they need to participate in the work force.
The funding for the Centre de prévention du suicide et d'in tervention de crise du Bas-St-Laurent will help with the renovation of the shelter, and will help purchase supplies, furniture, and telephone equipment. The centre provides help to people dealing with psychosocial crisis situations, as well as those at ri sk of suicide. These funds are provided through the Homelessness Partnering Initiative (HPI), a cornerstone of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.
In January 2008, the governments of C anada and Quebec signed a collaborative agreement concerning 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.
The Government of Quebec, in consideration of the participation of the Government of Canada, provides HPI community partners with at least 50 percent of the total funding for projects undertaken through the collective plan.
Service Canada brings Government of Canada services and benefits together in a single delivery network. It provides Canadians with one-stop service they can access however they choose-by phone at 1 800 O Canada, on the Internet at servicecanada.gc .ca, or in person at Service Canada Centres across the country.
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The Skills Link program is one of three Government of Canada programs that help young Canadians (aged 15 to 30) o btain career information, develop skills, gain work experience, find good jobs, and stay employed. The two other programs are Summer Work Experience and Career Focus.
Skills Link focuses on helping young people who face barriers to employment. The se young people include high school drop-outs, single parents, Aboriginal youth, young people with disabilities, youth in rural areas, and recent immigrants. Summer Work Experience helps secondary and post-secondary students find summer jobs. Career Focus helps post-secondary graduates develop advanced skills and find careers in their fields. All three programs provide a range of activities that can be tailored to meet individual needs.
Projects funded under the Skills Link program have been revie wed to ensure compliance with the Department's grants and contributions programs, and are subject to review under the Financial Administration Act.
The Homelessness Partne ring Strategy (HPS) began on April 1, 2007, and is providing $269.6 million over two years to prevent and reduce homelessness in Canada. The HPS is a unique community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness in Canada by provid ing funding and direct support to more than 60 communities across Canada.
Under the HPS, the Government of Canada is offering to work in partnership with all the provinces and territories. Once put in place, such partnerships would encourage bette r alignment of federal and provincial/territorial investments, and help to provide a seamless continuum of supports for homeless people.
The HPS has three main initiatives: the Homelessness Partnership Initiative (HPI), the Homelessness Accountability Network, and the Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative.
The Homelessness Partnership Initiative is the cornerstone of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy. Its housing-fir st approach recognizes that the first step is to provide individuals with transitional and supportive housing.
The HPI has four funding components:
- designated communities;
- outreach communities;
- Aboriginal communities; and
- federal horizontal pilot projects.
The Homelessness Accountability Network helps to strengthen program accountability. It also develops knowledge and encourages organizations to reinforce their networks and share best practic es.
The Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative makes surplus federal property as well as land available to community organizations, the not-for-profit sector, and other levels of government for projects to prevent and reduce hom elessness.
