Deep, flexible spending needed to help veterans

OTTAWA • An emergency fund overseen by federal officials has doled out almost $38,000 in the last four months to help 40 veterans who faced financial crises, including some who may have been on the verge of becoming homeless.

As of the end of June, Veterans Affairs Canada had 750 veterans identified as homeless in its client database, compared with 650 as of last September. A federal review of shelter data estimated 2,950 veterans relied on shelters in 2014, or 2.2 per cent of the overall shelter population.

The figures hint at how much more the government may have to spend to house homeless veterans, a cost one former high-ranking military member believes could run into the millions each year.

The Liberals’ plan to tackle homelessness among veterans is scheduled to be released this fall. Walter Semianiw, a former chief of military personnel, said he and others will look at how much money the government puts behind the plan, how funding rolls out and how other measures like the possibility of lifelong pensions work into the strategy.

“It’s great to have a strategy, but if the strategy is not brought to life, it’s not worth anything,” Semianiw said.

“The only way to bring it to life is money.”

Semianiw, a retired lieutenant-general who works with VETS Canada, a homeless veterans organization, said there is also a need to be flexible with funding so a new, $1-million-a-year emergency fund will be more nimble than the existing one.

The present fund is made up of donations from outside groups and grants to veterans flow through organizations like VETS Canada, which has a contract with the federal government for outreach services, and the Royal Canadian Legion.

“Currently, the emergency funding is not that easy to get to. It’s not quick to get money from the department when it comes to the current organization or construct of emergency services,” said Semianiw, who was also assistant deputy minister at Veterans Affairs.

One of the most recent versions of the federal government’s veterans homelessness strategy, a heavy focus was placed on providing veterans in crisis with help in paying the rent or mortgage, including the idea of a housing fund that could provide rent vouchers.

There is also an emphasis on peer-to-peer support mechanisms and outreach activities so veterans are put in a position to help their comrades in crisis.

Absent from an October draft of the document is any mention of costs.

The issue was on the government’s radar as far back as 2008, when officials became aware of homeless veterans in the West. Work on the strategy began in earnest just over a year ago.