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• HOMEWorks! Homeless Strategy with a Focus on Mental Health Housing
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  • Community Wellness Initiative
  • Homelessness Prevention Summit
  • Housing First
  • The Mental Health Commission of Canada

Homeless Prevention Summit

A stakeholder summit will be held in the fall of 2009 to develop a long-term strategy to prevent homelessness.  The summit will bring together stakeholders from all levels of government, the community and business sectors, and build on the strong foundation of housing, outreach and support services introduced under the Homeless Strategy.
 
The prevention of homelessness is a complex, multi-sectoral issue that requires collaboration among key stakeholders to ensure that the range and type of services available are effective and efficient in meeting the needs of individuals and families.  A first step in preventing homelessness is the creation of a common vision or plan.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness indicates that one of the ten essentials to ending homelessness is the creation of a plan in which key stakeholders develop of a set of strategies to end homelessness, and make funding and implementation commitments to these strategies.

Services for the homeless population in Manitoba have primarily been developed by community agencies to meet specific needs, resulting in a patchwork of services that are often costly, stopgap measures designed to manage rather than prevent homelessness.  Research has shown that communities can be more effective in helping homeless people by better coordination of funding and services, changing the mix of assistance provided, and focusing on prevention activities.

There are a number of initiatives at the federal, provincial and local level that are designed to reduce homelessness and poverty.  Although substantial and significant work has and continues to be done, no one community and/or government body has the mandate to tackle the complex, multi-sectoral issue of homelessness.

In April 2007, the Roof Over Every Bed initiative stabilized the emergency and transitional shelter system and introduced the idea of developing a multi-sectoral, multi-year action plan to prevent homelessness.  This idea will be brought to fruition this fall, beginning with a summit of key stakeholders.