Report Says Canadian Government Needs to Renew Social Housing Funding

"Municipal, provincial and federal governments have to spend $3.35 billion a year on social-housing programs, the FCM said in its National Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, released today in Vancouver."

"A key step, FCM officials said, is a commitment from the federal government to continue funding social housing programs that are scheduled to end in March 2009."

"The federation wants to see a long-term plan to tackle homelessness to get away from year-by-year funding by the federal government."

"Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan said there is great concern that local governments would 'lose the momentum' in their efforts to provide necessary social housing if the federal government ends its commitment in 2009."

"According to the FCM report, a total of 27,000 assisted-housing units have been built in Canada during the last five years."

"'The main impediment to expanding these efforts is the expiry of all federal social-housing funding programs in March 2009,' said the report."

"It said the problems of homelessness and housing affordability are already straining the 'limited resources of Canada's cities' while the termination of federal programs 'will seriously undermine efforts to attack the issue of homelessness."'