Homelessness in St. John's

“We actually do have homelessness in this city. Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not here.”

            Kale MacLean, A formerly homeless youth, St. John’s, NL

Decent, affordable housing is a right for all Canadians.

But for many in our community, the housing situation is getting worse, not better – hampering peoples’ ability to fully participate in society’s benefits, including the ability to pursue education and employment opportunities, or to have a place to truly call home.

Homelessness has been a growing problem in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador since the late 1990s, when longstanding federal and provincial programs to construct new affordable housing were cancelled, leaving Canada as the world’s only advanced industrial country without a national housing strategy.

In St. John’s, a strong economy, combined with rising housing costs, the loss of 48% of existing affordable private rental units since 1998, and a limited supply of new and existing housing options for people with a variety of needs, led to renewed efforts since 2001 to tackle the problem of homelessness.

The problem is best understood in St. John’s as one of hidden homelessness, in which people are forced to live in unsafe, unsuitable housing conditions, often at a cost they cannot afford, leading to a cycle of unstable housing, threat of eviction, and couch-surfing from place to place. For others who have faced institutionalization in hospitals or in prison, the lack of supportive housing in the community effectively locks the door to their pursuit of independent living. And long-predicted trends such as an aging population, and the emergence of new and pervasive addictions, challenge the affordable housing community to hasten efforts to address emerging needs.

In 1999, the National Homelessness Initiative was announced by the Government of Canada, investing $1.2 billion in community-led solutions (including $16.5 million in Newfoundland and Labrador) until 2006, when the program was replaced by the two-year, $526 million Homelessness Partnering Strategy, which runs until the end of 2008. In addition, Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador agreed in 2003 to cost-share a new $41 million Affordable Housing Program, and the 2006 federal budget provided one-time funds of $21 million for new housing in this province through provincial and aboriginal housing trusts.

These investments are starting to pay off – in many ways. Low income households, individuals living with disabilities or illness, people escaping violence and abuse – increasingly their voices are gaining attention on the public agenda, and community-based housing organizations are working with them, and with governments, to tailor new and innovative housing options to better meet the needs.

The long term impacts of affordable and supportive housing investment goes far beyond the provision of housing. It opens doors to healthier, more independent living, and increases access to opportunities for employment, education and personal fulfillment.

And it provides a foundation for a stronger community in which the rights of all to decent, affordable housing, and the opportunities it provides, are truly available to everyone.

Rather than growing homelessness, let’s grow homes, together.

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'Someone who is struggling with barriers is less likely to find a decent place to live.'

- Cheryl Mallard