Premier Jason Kenney announced the province’s commitment of $63 million to help reduce homelessness and
$124 million that’ll go towards fighting the addiction crisis in Calgary and Edmonton, both spread over the next two years. The announcement is multi-faceted, containing multiple new facilities and refreshed approaches that are recovery- and housing-oriented to help connect people experiencing homelessness and addiction with resources.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
The homelessness funding comes through the province’s new Homelessness Action Plan, based on a report by the Coordinated Community Response to Homelessness Task Force the province established last year. The plan will see provincially funded shelters operate 24/7 and introduce a pilot of a “service hub” model for shelters in Calgary and Edmonton. The province says such a model will “connect clients directly with supports and services such as recovery, housing and emergency financial support.
“On the homelessness side, expanding shelter service 24/7 is huge. That’s very significant for both cities,” said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek. “ going make sure that we are not warehousing people, which is so inhumane. We are allowing people to have a dignified approach to getting them out of situations they find themselves in by having all of those supports co-located in the shelter.”
The addictions funding includes $65 million earmarked for constructing two “recovery communities,” which will offer long-term treatment in Calgary and Edmonton, and $8 million to fund harm reduction and recovery outreach teams. Another $28 million was set aside for new hybrid health and police hubs in the province’s two largest cities, though details on how those facilities would operate remain in the works.
Since when did the Provincial Cons start caring about citizens?
Homelessness is not a drug focused problem as this article suggests. It also includes economics, mental health and education—or rather a lack thereof. Sometimes some ppl need a hand up to get their economics, mental health and education back on track is all.