Feds eye affordable housing for homeless veterans

OTTAWA — The federal government is considering whether to foot the bill for the construction of affordable housing units as part of a fresh push to help homeless military veterans get off the streets — one of many ideas floated to groups trying to tackle the issue.

Expanding the stock of affordable housing for veterans is referenced in a document — sent to dozens of groups set to gather today in the national capital — that outlines potential steps the federal government can take to reduce the number of homeless vets.

There is no dollar figure included, but the funding would likely come from the government’s $40-billion national housing strategy, which prioritizes projects for veterans and certain other groups, including women fleeing domestic violence, Indigenous Peoples and those with mental-health issues.

The government isn’t ready to get into the business of building and managing affordable housing for former Forces members and is instead looking to fund projects from the private sector or other levels of government, Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan said.

He said the government is figuring out the most effective way to target veterans through the $40-billion national housing strategy.

The ideas in the document, which include rewriting departmental rules to provide rent subsidies to veterans, will be part of a day-long event where more than 70 groups will tell O’Regan and other federal officials what does and doesn’t work, and develop some quick policy ideas the government can implement. “If we can get veterans off the streets now, then we’ll do it now. We’re not waiting on a strategy,” O’Regan said in an interview Wednesday.