Publishing Date
On April 3, the provincial government released its Belonging in BC homelessness plan. The plan covers the initial phase from 2022-2025, with immediate actions in the plan supported by $633 million from Budget 2022, and $1.5 billion from Budget 2023.
The plan commits to four strategic actions to be implemented over the next three years:
- Transform housing and health systems and programs to reduce barriers to support
- Strengthen community partnership to build capacity and respond to local needs
- Ensure programming and service delivery includes input from people with distinct needs and perspectives
- Apply better data on drivers and impacts of homelessness to improve policy and program design and development.
Specifically, the plan includes:
- $520 million for 240 additional complex care housing units at 12 locations across the province.
- 3,800 additional supportive housing units.
- An additional $7.5 million in funding for the BC Rent Bank program.
- Homeless Encampment Action Response for Temporary Housing (HEARTH), which includes funding for emergency housing, shelter options, and immediate coordinated supports to assist people living in encampments or sheltering in public spaces.
- Homeless Encampment and Action Response Teams (HEART). These are new regional multidisciplinary teams to provide a rapid response to encampments, that are expected to be formed for the summer and fall of 2023.
- Additional $6 million for the Homelessness Community Action Grants which provide funding for local governments and others for projects address homelessness and to build capacity.
- $170 million to expand health, addictions and mental health supports.
Provincial staff also presented at UBCM’s Housing Summit on April 4 and 5 in Vancouver, BC. The session, Tackling Homelessness, featured presentations by the Ministry of Housing, BC Housing, the Fraser Valley Regional District and the City of North Vancouver. Presentations are available on the UBCM website.