Feds pledge $3.7 million to support homeless veterans in Ottawa

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Mark MacDonald knows what it’s like to be down and out.

The veteran was homeless “at various points” since he retired from the military in 2005 and when he was most in need, Veterans’ House Canada helped him get back on his feet.

So he welcomed a new pledge of federal funding for the Ottawa organization, which provides veterans with housing and support services. The federal government announced Tuesday afternoon that it will provide almost $4 million over four years to the organization and the Ottawa Innercity Ministries.

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“When… you need support and you don’t have a lot of money, this place is great because it lets you get in here for a minimal amount of money,” said MacDonald, who works part-time for the Alliance to End Homelessness. “Life is money and homelessness is money.”

Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor announced the funding at Veterans’ House Canada’s Andy Carswell Building along with Ottawa-area MPs Mona Fortier and Yasir Naqvi. Veterans’ House Canada is set to receive just over $2.6 million, while Ottawa Innercity Ministries will get $1.1 million.

MacDonald, who lived in the Andy Carswell Building for almost four years, said the organization provides “tremendous stability.” While living there, MacDonald was able to save up enough money to eventually move into a downtown apartment.

“Homeless veterans are just like other homeless people, there’s nothing special about them except I think they should get some special support,” MacDonald said.

Across the country, the federal government said it plans to provide $72.9 million to help homeless veterans with rent, counselling and substance abuse treatment. Another $6.2 million will go towards research and data collection.

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“We have a duty to our veterans, including those who may face unique challenges, service-related disabilities and mental health issues,” Fortier said at the press conference, which was attended by veteran tenants of the building. “These disabilities make it difficult for veterans to secure and maintain stable housing. It is our moral and ethical duty to support them and help prevent the cycle of homelessness that is difficult to break.”

Veterans’ House Canada, whose Andy Carswell Building opened in 2021 on the redeveloped lands of the former CFB Rockcliffe, will use the funding it receives to provide rent supplements and “wrap-around support services.”

The organization’s executive director, Alan Mulawyshyn, said rent at the building, which houses dozens of veterans, is subsidized and geared to income.

“Right now we have to fundraise, we have to find private donors, corporations to raise that money for subsidies. Now, for the next four years, we don’t have to,” said Mulawyshyn, who served in the army for 40 years.

Mulawyshyn said the government funding will also help the organization pay veterans’ rent arrears when needed and refurbish and restock rooms when a tenant moves out and someone new comes in off of the street or from a shelter.

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He said the funding will also help Veterans’ House Canada in hiring a case support manager to complement the team of mental health specialists and work one-on-one with veterans to help veterans with things like going to the bank.

“It’s simple things, but it’s so important,” said Mulawyshyn, who added it would be challenging to hire that new employee without the funding.

A second Veterans’ House Canada home is expected to open its doors in Edmonton in 2026.

Ottawa Innercity Ministries, which is based on Gladstone Avenue in Centretown, plans to use its funding to provide veterans with financial assistance.

Peter Stuart, a veterans housing co-ordinator with the organization, said the funding will help the organization pay veterans’ first and last month’s rent, buy starter kits with items like dishes and cutlery and pay other costs.

“All that kind of stuff helps us, helps me be able to deliver that service,” said Stuart, who is a third-generation veteran.

According to the 2021 census, there are more than 460,000 Canadian veterans and around 2,600 of them are experiencing homelessness.

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NDP Veterans Affairs critic Rachel Blaney said that considering the need across the country, the funding announced on Tuesday is “just a start.”

“We’re not seeing the amount of resources that I think we need to have to support veterans,” Blaney said. “We’re not seeing the services that are provided from a trauma-informed lens so that they’re more accessible for veterans who have particular vulnerabilities.”

Blaney said she “appreciated” the step and that she hoped the federal government would provide more resources as they are needed.

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