Backgrounder: Government of Canada launches the Veteran Homelessness Program 

The Government of Canada is committed to preventing and reducing Veteran homelessness in Canada. Veterans have served our country courageously and they deserve a safe and affordable place to call home.

The Government of Canada is committed to preventing and reducing Veteran homelessness in Canada. Veterans have served our country courageously and they deserve a safe and affordable place to call home.

In taking action to address the fact that thousands of Veterans experience homelessness every year, the Government of Canada is launching a dedicated Veteran Homelessness Program.

The Veteran Homelessness Program provides housing supports and services to Veterans experiencing, or at risk of homelessness.

The program delivers contribution funding through two streams:

• The Services and Supports Stream provides $72.9 million in funding for rent supplements and “wrap-around” services, such as counselling and treatment for substance use. The maximum level of financial support that will be approved per project or initiative will not exceed $6.5 million over 5 years.

• The Capacity Building Stream provides $6.2 million in funding for research on Veteran homelessness and supports capacity building in the homelessness-serving sector to help those organizations respond to the needs of Veterans. The maximum level of financial support that will be approved per project or initiative will not exceed $1.5 million over 5 years.

Eligible recipients, including Veteran-serving organizations, can apply to one or both funding streams on the online portal available on the Infrastructure Canada website. The portal will open for 8 weeks starting on April 28, 2023 and is expected to close on June 23, 2023.

A series of webinars will be available to provide information on the process of developing and submitting an application for the Veteran Homelessness Program.
The Veterans Homelessness Program is part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to accelerate its efforts in addressing chronic homelessness among Veterans.