End Homelessness St. John's dividing $1.3M among groups working to put roofs over people's heads

A St. John's anti-homelessness organization is partnering with 10 other groups to distribute $1.3 million in federal funding to help keep more people off the streets.

End Homelessness St. John's announced it would distribute the money among 10 Newfoundland and Labrador groups: the AIDS Committee of N.L., Choices for Youth, Connections for Seniors, Empower: The Disability Resource Centre, First Light, the John Howard Society of N.L., Quadrangle N.L., Stella's Circle, the Gathering Place and Thrive.

Jennifer Tipple, senior director of strategy and impact at End Homelessness St. John's, said the money will be used to create 16 housing-focused case management positions, giving each organization more ability to take on a caseload of people struggling with homelessness and work with them to access and maintain stable housing.

"We've had some form of these positions since [COVID], but we're always making sure that we're keeping these positions fresh and responsive to the needs of the community," Tipple told CBC News on Wednesday.

"[The organizations] also represent the spectrum of what we see in terms of people experiencing homelessness in our communities. In terms of age, in terms of disability.… Also you'll see a new player this year for us is Quadrangle N.L., and that really represents the fact that we see 2SLGBTQIA+ folks overrepresented in our homelessness numbers."

Case managers work with people throughout the process, Tipple said, making sure documentation is in place, seeking out viewings or landlords, and helping them connect with health-care support and access to groceries.

The funding comes at a time when housing has become increasingly harder to find in Newfoundland and Labrador. Tipple said vacancy rates have dropped dramatically in recent years, and some landlords have become more selective in who they choose to rent to.

"It's incredibly challenging right now. Prior to COVID we had a vacancy rate of about 7.5 per cent here in the city, and that's now down to about 1.5 per cent," she said.

"We've got a number of populations that are competing for the same private rental market .And in the meantime, we have units leaving the market as well. Some landlords are choosing to take their units offline, some are entering the short-term market."

Funding through the federal homelessness strategy, called Reaching Home, is available until March 2028.

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