HOMELESS OUTREACH EXPANDS TO FOUR MORE COMMUNITIES

July 11th, 2008

VICTORIA - Homeless outreach services will soon be provided in Cranbrook, Revelstoke, Mission and Hope, bringing the number of communities served by the Homeless Outreach Program up to 47, Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman announced today.

"The outreach program has been so successful that more than 2,500 homeless British Columbians have been successfully connected to housing and a wide range of social supports," said Coleman. "We want more people to benefit from these supports, and that's why we're extending our Homeless Outreach Program to four new B.C. communities."

A call for expressions of interest is being issued today for non-profit societies in these communities to provide the outreach. Homeless outreach workers engage individuals who are homeless and help connect them with housing, income assistance, and social and health supports to help people stabilize their lives and regain their independence.

Each successful community group will receive annual funding of $65,000. In addition, annual funding of $7,200 will be available for each group to use as rent supplements ($120 per unit per month) to help secure appropriate housing in the private market if other subsidized housing options are not available for the people they are assisting. The goal is to have the outreach services start in the new communities in September.

Details of the proposal call can be found at:
www.bchousing.org/programs/proposals.

The Homeless Outreach Program has an annual budget of $4.2 million. It is just one component of the government's strategy to break the cycle of homelessness. Other significant elements include:

An Aboriginal Homeless Outreach Program providing outreach to Aboriginal people in eight communities, with $500,000 in annual funding.
The Emergency Shelter Program provides approximately 1,500 shelter beds in 31 communities, with annual funding of more than $45 million. That's an increase from 850 beds and $10 million in annual funding in 2001.
The Provincial Homelessness Initiative has committed to the creation of more than 4,000 supportive housing units in more than 20 communities since it was established in 2004.

Budget 2008 increased the amount the Province invests in affordable housing and shelters to more than $380 million a year, more than three times as much as in 2001.

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Media contact:
Paul Woolley
Communications Director
250-387-6489

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