REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN, October 4, 2010 —Individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness will benefit from improved community services and service delivery networks in the Regina area, thanks to research supported by the Government of Canada. Mr. Tom Lukiwski, Member of Parliament for Regina–Lumsden–Lake Centre, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

“Our government is giving a hand-up to Canadians with housing needs, and is helping those seeking to break free from the cycle of homelessness and poverty,” said Mr. Lukiwski. “We are pleased to support the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region’s efforts to help enhance the services offered to individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Regina.”

Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) funding of $60,000 will be used by the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region to gather and analyze updated housing data and trends, and to assess the impact of these changes on the homeless population. The information gathered will be shared with the community and service providers to help improve services and their delivery to those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

“The contribution agreement between the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region and the federal government, through the HPS initiative, will support the existing homelessness community network by updating the current trends in housing resources, by assessing the impact of these changes on community members, and by providing direction on how to improve supports for homeless people and how to begin to address the lack of affordable and supported housing in our community,” said Ms. Lorri Carlson, Executive Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region.

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy emphasizes longer‑term supportive and transitional housing by focusing on a housing‑first approach to help people make the transition out of the cycle of homelessness. The Government of Canada is investing over $1.9 billion over five years, until 2014, for housing and homelessness programs for low‑income Canadians.

Canada’s Economic Action Plan has built on these investments by making an additional one‑time investment of more than $2 billion over two years in new and existing social housing, and by making available up to $2 billion in loans to Canadian municipalities over two years for housing‑related infrastructure improvements. To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, please visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.

For more information on the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca/homelessness.