Edmonton Faith Communities Talk Housing

Emergency shelters, soup kitchens, food banks… Can we come behind more effective responses to homelessness? Come join Edmonton’s faith communities as we stand together in support of meaningful solutions to housing and homelessness!

Here’s how we’re going to do it!

The Capital Region Interfaith Housing Initiative has invited representatives from all three levels of government, and all political parties to join us on September 6, 2018 as we discuss how to respond together to the current shortage of affordable and supportive housing in Edmonton, and across the country.

At this meeting, many different faith traditions (Muslim, Jewish, Evangelical, Catholic, Anglican, Sikh, Unitarian, Hindu, Lutheran, Christian Reformed, Mennonite, Quaker, Indigenous and numerous other traditions) will stand up together to express their shared concern about a growing challenge impacting friends, family members and neighbours in all our communities: affording a place to call home.

Agenda
9:30 am – Doors open
10:00 – Welcome and Opening Ceremony
10:10 – Faith Leaders from several traditions will speak to how the shortage of affordable and supportive housing impacts all our communities.
10:30 – CRIHI Presentation on four critical priorities. (highlighted below)
10:45 – People with lived experience share stories around tables.
11:15 – Coffee break.
11:25 – Five key political leaders or party representatives will share an official response.
12:15pm – Closing ceremony, blessing or prayer
12:30 – Lunch as provided by numerous faith communities*
1:30 – Adjournment
*Over lunch, additional video statements will be taken in order for other political parties to share their response. To be featured as a formal record of the event.

Four Critical Priorities to be discussed:

CRIHI names the following as critical priorities in addressing the current shortage of affordable and supportive housing:
ONE
the Portable Housing Benefit. A direct help for the 20,000+ households paying more than 50% of monthly income to rent.

TWO
Land, capital, and Long-term support funding for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). PSH has proved itself as direct and effective help for Edmonton’s most vulnerable citizens; providing those with multiple complex needs with appropriate longer-term support and care.

THREE
Increased funding for Mobile Support Workers (Ie. Home Care, Housing First support teams)

FOUR
A vision for the way ahead: Support and encourage Canadian housing providers to shift efforts toward the Netherlands model*.

*Observation: in the Netherlands, housing providers currently house more than sixty percent of the country’s population in sustainable mixed market developments with breakdowns such as: 20% low income; 60% middle income; 20% high income. In these developments, high income housing helps pay for the low income housing to make it a sustainable model for market development. This system required some start up support, but now requires no government funding!

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