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Title:Progress report on the implementation of a plan for Alberta: ending homelessness in 10 years.
Variant Title:2009-10 report to the minister
Corporate Author: Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness
Subject:Housing – temporary, emergency, homelessness
Publisher:Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness
Place of Publication:Edmonton
Date of Publication:2010
Abstract:
At the direction of Premier Ed Stelmach, who recognized that the growing number of Albertans who were at-risk of becoming or currently experiencing homelessness was an unacceptable situation, the creation of the Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness (the “Secretariat”) was announced on January 23, 2008. The Secretariat was given the responsibility for developing Alberta’s strategic plan to end homelessness. A Plan for Alberta: Ending Homelessness in 10 Years, (“the Plan”), was released on March 16, 2009. When the Government of Alberta accepted the Plan, it became the first province in Canada to sate publicly its intention to end homelessness. Central to the provincial plan is a fundamental shift in Alberta’s approach, which has relied on emergency shelters for those experiencing a housing crisis. This new direction means moving away from managing the problem because, despite the dedication of all those working within the system, this approach does not solve the problem of homelessness. Instead, the Plan provides a road map for ending homelessness. It includes strategies to achieve housing stability for those already in crisis by employing a housing first philosophy, and it outlines the courses of action that will prevent Albertans from falling into homelessness in the years to come. All Albertans will benefit from ending homelessness in our province because it will result in cost-saving opportunities for taxpayers. Evidence indicates that an emergency response system that relies on shelters and publicly funded services such as hospitals and policing, is more costly to public systems than providing housing with supports to homeless individuals. We also know that if we continue to employ the traditional approach, the number of homeless individuals and families in Alberta will very likely continue to grow.
Language:English
 Material Type:Report
