United Way East Ontario is honoured to have partnered with the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness and the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa in the 2024 National Conference on Ending Homelessness (CAEH24).
This year’s conference focused on policy and advocacy and aligned well with our work on housing and homelessness in our communities. Held at the Rogers Centre in Ottawa, from October 29 to 31, 2024, it featured more than 100 sessions on topics including lived experience leadership, advocacy, data, housing, health care, Indigenous homelessness, rural and remote homelessness, among other key areas.
As a member of the local host committee for CAEH24, we spoke and facilitated breakout groups in a handful of sessions throughout the conference. We also took on volunteer coordination for the event.
“We all know that this conference is a real opportunity for advocacy; it’s always an opportunity to be able to connect and talk about best practices with folks. But this year is the eve of a federal election – there's a reason that we’re in Ottawa, and that reason is because we have an opportunity to affect real change.”
Homelessness is increasingly prevalent across our region. Near the Rogers Centre, it’s not uncommon to see shelters, encampments, and individuals experiencing homelessness. The juxtaposition of the illustrious conference centre with the subject matter being discussed inside served as a stark reminder that we’ve reached a crucial point in our fight to end homelessness, and we must act now to address this ongoing crisis.
Safe, affordable housing is a human right.
We are currently in a housing and homelessness crisis across Canada.
Ottawa became the first city in Canada to declare a housing emergency in 2020, but despite legislation at federal, provincial, and municipal levels, and a shared recognition of this issue, homelessness is getting worse locally and nationally. Inflation, the rising cost of living, and long-term effects of the pandemic, like poor mental health and increasing rates of gender-based violence, have made housing precarity even more dire.
As of 2021, more than 1,300 people were experiencing homelessness in Ottawa:
- 13% of those are youth
- 1 in 3 homeless young people identify as 2SLGBTQ+
- 45% of Indigenous youth who faced homelessness first experienced it before age 16
- 60% of youth who experience homelessness have been involved in the child welfare system
In rural communities, youth who are homeless often keep their situation a secret from teachers and neighbours, making the issue even more invisible: they sleep in cars, or couch surf with friends.
When a young person experiences homelessness, they are more likely to drop out of school, which makes it harder to get a good job and gain financial independence.
Many rural youth head to the city in search of services and jobs – leaving their social networks behind and forcing them to build brand new circles of support.
We know that no one organization or individual can solve a problem like homelessness – that’s why CAEH24 is so important.
We are working to end homelessness across Canada
Across the country, United Ways agree that Housing and Homelessness is a top priority coming out of the pandemic and beyond.
As a network of United Ways, we invest in collaborations, programs and initiatives that create measurable and lasting changes toward solving homelessness.
We’re bringing together diverse organizations and individuals around a common goal so we can strengthen the path forward.
United Ways Across Canada have invested:
- $37 million in housing and shelter
- $20 million in housing-related assistance program
Minister Sean Fraser announcing the Housing Innovation Fund at CAEH24.
- $10 million in emergency and transitional housing
Because of these investments, over 382,000 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness will be able to access support.
“Without a roof over your head, it’s nearly impossible to take care of your mental health, stay focused at work, or plan for the future. Finding affordable housing is even harder for newcomers to our country, youth forced to leave home, women fleeing violence, and many others struggling to make ends meet. Our toughest social challenges are intertwined. At United Way, we know that you can’t fix one of these problems without considering the others, and that’s what makes our big-picture approach so important.”
Alongside Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, Kelly and other members of the United Way East Ontario team hosted a networking session at CAEH24 to facilitate important conversations on housing and homelessness across the province of Ontario.
This created an opportunity for people to connect on emerging issues including:
- Government relations and advocacy.
- The impact of recent closure of supervised consumption sites as it relates to housing and homelessness.
- Advocacy and housing interventions for rural and francophone municipalities.
- Youth homelessness prevention and diversion.
We also hosted a community lounge on behalf of the Rural Youth Homelessness Network for informal networking and to identify priorities. Convening smaller focused subgroups enabled participants to connect with others working on similar issues, learn from each other and identify ways to work with each other.
Join us in the fight to end homelessness
“We are not powerless to solve homelessness. Together, we’re going to show Canadians that homelessness is indeed solvable and we’re going to show them by doing it.”
CAEH24 cemented our call to action surrounding homelessness, housing affordability, the rising numbers of individuals without a place to call home, and the intersectional issues which render someone homeless or in unstable housing conditions. Together, we are connecting, mobilizing knowledge and inspiring action. We must continue to break down isolation and siloes which make addressing housing and homelessness more difficult.
“One of the things that we say at United Way is that the tough, complex problems are never solved by one organization, one policy, or program. We know that no one organization or individual can solve a problem like homelessness – that’s why having you all here this week, from coast to coast to coast, is so important.”
“I firmly believe that addressing homelessness and housing is the issue of our generation – and that it will require many hands, perspectives, and approaches to solve.”
