2020-2025

“Leave the streets behind” streets the “Leave

VETERANS’ HOMELESSNESS VETERANS’

ACTION PLAN TO PREVENT AND ERADICATE ERADICATE AND PREVENT TO PLAN ACTION

THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION’S LEGION’S CANADIAN ROYAL THE

LEAVE THE STREETS BEHIND | 2020-2025

SECTION 1 | INTRODUCTION

1.1 FOREWORD stakeholders and with experts in the field. It also The Royal Canadian Legion Operation: Leave the recognizes the importance of expanding the existing Streets Behind began in Command as a body of knowledge on Veterans’ Homelessness in result of being approached by a Veteran of the Korean order to refine outreach strategies, target prevention War to assist in conducting the first ever Homeless activities, and develop Veteran-centric interventions Veterans’ Remembrance Service in November, 2009. against the backdrop of a strong evidence base.

The success of this Service brought forward 1.2 THE NEXT FIVE YEARS the necessity to review the need for a national To “prevent and eradicate Veterans’ Homelessness” Homeless Veterans Program. At the Dominion does not suggest that the Royal Canadian Legion Command Convention in 2012, held in will never again witness homeless Veterans. Some Halifax, , a motion was made to Veterans may choose to remain homeless despite extend this Homeless Veterans program at the repeated offers of assistance and housing. The National level as ”Leave the Streets Behind”. goal of “preventing and eradicating Veterans’ Homelessness” does mean that a well-coordinated The Royal Canadian Legion’s Action Plan to and efficient system must be in place to ensure Prevent & Eradicate Veterans’ Homelessness “Leave that every Veteran has access to the necessary the Streets Behind” is a joint partnership with support to avoid living on the street and the ability Dominion Command, Provincial Commands, the to make timely movement to permanent housing. OSI Special Section, Branches, Ladies Auxiliaries The Action Plan, therefore, must be a revolving and external partners. It aligns with the federal cycle that will require periodic updating. government commitment to increase support to Veterans, to increase social infrastructure support, Successful implementation will mean that the and to ensure that all Canadians have access to Royal Canadian Legion, in consultation with affordable housing. This Action Plan builds on our partners, will have the capacity to: past initiatives undertaken by Veterans Affairs (VAC), the VAC-Employment and Social • Quickly identify and engage Veterans at risk Development Canada (ESDC) 2013 Partnership of or experiencing homelessness and after Strategy to Address Veteran Homelessness, and Verification of Service, take the necessary the 2012-2014 VAC-ESDC Pilot Project on steps to coordinate assistance for the Veteran Veteran Homelessness. It is informed by research and his/her family; and evidence-based best practices that have been • Intervene to prevent the loss of housing and proven to address homelessness among Veterans. divert Veterans from entering homelessness; • Work with shelter and crisis services, to The Action Plan will rely upon consultation with provide immediate needs for the Veteran and; federal, provincial and municipal partners, both • Quickly connect Veterans to housing government and non-government, as well as national assistance and services – tailored to their and local Veterans/Homelessness advocates. It relies unique needs and strengths – to help them on collaboration and strong partnership among all achieve and maintain stable housing.

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1.3 THE CAUSES OF VETERANS’ Near Homelessness HOMELESSNESS An individual or family are on the brink of losing Veterans become homeless as the result of complex their present living quarters, due to lack of payment and interrelated issues such as health status (physical of rent, heat and hydro, etc. and mental), personal problems, employment instability, poverty, lack of affordable housing, and At Risk Homelessness an inability to access services, support and social An individual who is dependent on others for assistance. In addition, many Veterans have been housing, who is couch surfing, and whose personal exposed to traumatic and dangerous situations as a or economic situation has changed. result of their military service and often struggle with the after-effects. More so, some Veterans find the Transitional Housing transition from military to civilian life difficult, and Many programs with Transitional Housing are two struggle to find ways to adjust to the civilian world. years in length and the client is obligated to maintain Lack of planning when making the transition from consistency in attending and being involved in the military to civilian life is a major factor. various rehabilitation programs. Transitional Housing eventually leads to permanent and one must complete 1.4 MEASURING THE PROBLEM programs that lead to being permanently housed. Accurately measuring the number of homeless Veterans is very challenging. Many times the question Permanent Housing is being asked “How many homeless Veterans are Permanent Housing is the first and most important there in Canada?” Simply put the answer is unknown. part of our needs for the Homeless Veterans They must self-identify and their service verified program. We continue to seek partners to establish before they become a part of the program. Many Permanent Housing. Developers in Ontario have times homeless people are in transit moving from come forward to provide apartments. Outside place to place and are therefore difficult to count. organizations such as Mainstay Housing () There are also the so-called “hidden homeless” (i.e. and Multifaith Housing () have stepped to those who are “couch surfing” and those at risk of the plate to fulfill the need for permanent housing. becoming homeless) who are often not captured in these formalized counts. Finally, there are those It has been noted that incentives are being offered to homeless individuals who identify as Veterans in an developers by municipalities and the Legion needs to illegal attempt to garner financial assistance from seek out these developers to ensure affordable housing the Royal Canadian Legion. Care must be applied to for Veterans is included in their new builds. ensure these individuals do not obtain assistance and reduce our limited financial resources.

1.5 DEFINITIONS NOTE: It must also be kept in mind that families Absolute Homelessness of homeless Veterans can also be affected as they Absolute Homelessness is defined where an often endure the most of emotional, physical and individual or family has no permanent housing and financial abuse because of a Veteran’s addictions is staying at a temporary shelter. The temporary and often leads to the family leaving the Veteran. shelter could be doorways, empty buildings, abandoned vehicles, parks or beach common areas.

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SECTION 2 | THE APPROACH

2.1 OUR MISSION 2.5 THE THEMES OF APPROACH “To serve Veterans, which The Themes of Approach, in turn, are driven by the Guiding Principles and identify the Action Plan’s seven Strategic Objectives: includes Serving Military and RCMP members and their families, to promote THEMES OF APPROACH STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE remembrance and to serve LEAD Improve 1. Through strong and visible our communities and and Collaboration leadership, strengthen existing our country.” ENGAGE and relationships and develop and Leadership leverage new partnerships across 2.2 OUR VISION all like-agencies to prevent and eradicate Veteran homelessness. “Our vision is to be the most highly respected 2. Increase knowledge about homeless Veteran and Community Veterans, the factors that lead to homelessness among Veterans, and Service organization.” successful initiatives that prevent and eradicate homelessness and 2.3 OUR AIM support Veterans in Crisis. “To prevent and eradicate Veterans’ homelessness.” FIND Improve 3. Strengthen the capacity of the Royal Outreach and Canadian Legion and work with its Identification partners to identify and connect 2.4 THE GUIDING with homeless Veterans. PRINCIPLES The Guiding Principles for this ASSIST Improve 4. Strengthen the capacity of the Royal Action Plan are provided to us Mechanism Canadian Legion and work with its in the to Assist partners to provide effective crisis homeless response to homeless Veterans. strategy and culture of Care, Veterans Compassion and Respect. 5. Increase access to stable and Thus, to ensure success, affordable housing for Veterans. the Action Plan must: • be Veteran-centric, PREVENT Prevent 6. Facilitate the successful military • be collaboration led, Veterans’ to civilian transition and inspire • be evidence-informed, homelessness Veterans to achieve their optimal • be outcome-based; and well-being. • support the Legion’s 7. Expand and enhance initiatives to overall Mission, Vision rapidly identify and better support and Strategic Plan. Veterans who come into contact with the criminal justice system.

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2.6 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES Strategic Objective 2: AND KEY RESULT AREAS Increase knowledge about Strategic Objective 1: Veterans’ homelessness Strong and visible leadership Over the past few years, information has emerged Strong leadership is required at all levels of the about the homeless Veteran population. However, Royal Canadian Legion Commands and Branches to more effectively combat this issue, a more in order to ensure the passion, talent, energy and accurate portrait of this population is needed. resources brought by all stakeholders are efficiently The availability of data on the situation of and effectively resourced and brought to bear on homeless Veterans, evidence on the effectiveness the problem of Veteran homelessness. While there of initiatives undertaken, and knowledge of the are excellent relations that already exist between factors that lead to homelessness among Veterans our government and non-governmental partners, are key to addressing this issue. Knowing or being much more can be done to enhance coordination able to predict the causes of Veteran homelessness and ensure information and ideas are rapidly improves the odds of being able to design effective shared to leverage available resources and address interventions. The most effective initiatives for identified gaps in services. This will facilitate faster ending homelessness have been proven to be implementation, so that results can be achieved evidence-based. These rely on timely and accurate without unnecessary delay. data in order to measure their effectiveness and success, and to enable the ability required to Key Result Areas: rapidly adapt these initiatives if required. • Educate the public and our service delivery partners on the scope, causes and costs Key Result Areas: of Veteran homelessness, and ensure that • Increase education and collaboration Veterans issues are understood as part of with partners at the Branch, Provincial the wider response to homelessness; Command, OSI Special Section and • Increase collaboration at the National, Dominion Command to identify and Provincial and Branch levels with share best practices to address the issue; established partners and stakeholders as • Establish metrics to ensure effective well as other homeless organizations, to services and supports are provided; better define roles, share information and • Work with CIMVHR research academics knowledge, and develop strong and enduring and others to identify gaps in research processes to assist homeless Veterans; and help determine the factors that • Re-establish the Royal Canadian Legion lead to Veteran homelessness; and Veterans’ Homelessness Advisory Committee • Increase our activities to ensure that the with the previously established stakeholders; Royal Canadian Legion is the recognized • Engage with Veteran stakeholders on local advocate for homeless Veterans at the initiatives; and National, Provincial and Branch levels. • Guidelines for establishing a Homeless Veterans program in each Command (province) have been developed and NOTE: Statistics must be collected, distributed to Commands. shared and distributed on a regular and timely manner.

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Strategic Objective 3: and support that address their needs. This will help Strengthen our capacity to identify and to either prevent them from becoming homeless, connect with homeless Veterans or if they are, give them the necessary support to It is critical that the Royal Canadian Legion facilitate their entry into longer-term programs that effectively reaches out and identifies Veterans ultimately lead to a more stable and secure lifestyle. who are homeless so that support and services can be provided. However, identification can be Key Result Areas: challenging, given the very nature of what it means • Advocate ways to expand the current to live on the streets and many homeless Veterans eligibility criteria for VAC’s programs are very likely to be disengaged, isolated and and services to help enable homeless mistrustful. Conventional means of connecting such Veterans to get the help they need; by phone or email are many times non-effective • Collaborate with other government as many have no fixed address and lack access departments and stakeholder organizations to the required technology. Even verification of on initiatives that will provide evidence military service can sometimes be a long process, and best practices to expand services as many Veterans may be missing identification and programs that help Veterans who documentation or forgotten details such as their are homeless or in crisis; and military service number. Accordingly, many do not • Liaison with Transition Groups. self-identify to the Service Bureaus and, for those that do, establishing and maintaining contact is Strategic Objective 5: difficult. Therefore, a more proactive approach at Increase access to stable and affordable the Provincial and Branch levels is required whereby housing for Veterans Service Officers and local community partner In addition to needing clinical supports to deal organizations work collaboratively to better find, with their addictions and physical/mental health identify, track and engage homeless Veterans. problems, most homeless Veterans and those in crisis need access to stable and affordable housing. Key Result Areas: Even with social and financial assistance provided • Increase collaboration, communication from other sources, such as provincial or municipal and efficiency of outreach programs and services, the amount of funding initiatives by all stakeholders at the provided is often insufficient to maintain a very Provincial and Branch levels; basic lifestyle, as a large percentage of income is • Improve efficiency and timeliness of dedicated to housing with little remaining for other process of verification of military service; necessities such as food, clothing or transportation. • Study other processes to more effectively identify and assist homeless Veterans; and Key Result Areas: • Share findings and stats with all • Provide financial assistance and support organizations involved. to Veterans who are homeless; • Provide financial assistance to organizations Strategic Objective 4: that expand the supply of affordable, Strengthen our capacity to provide permanent housing for Veterans; and effective crisis response. • Seek funding support from the The Royal Canadian Legion will assist Veterans who Legion National Foundation. are homeless by providing access to the services

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Strategic Objective 6: Strategic Objective 7: Facilitate the successful military to civilian Expand and enhance initiatives to rapidly transition and inspire Veterans to achieve identify and better support Veterans who come their optimal well-being into contact with the criminal justice system Research has shown that homeless Veterans Ensure assistance is available to all Veterans often report poor transition and this was a major who come into contact with the criminal factor in the path that led them to homelessness. justice system; Hence, it is logical that enhancing the transition and experience will reduce the factors and circumstances Ensure all incarcerated Veterans are that lead to homelessness in the first instance. A afforded necessary treatment programs positive transition experience helps ensure stable while in custody, and that suitable housing employment/sufficient income that provides the is available for them upon release. necessities of life for Veterans and their families. An improved military to civilian transition would Key Result Areas: include an efficient and seamless transition of • Develop and implement a model, at the medical treatment information and supports from Branch level, for collaboration with local the military medical system to the provincial system, services and other first responders to and linkages to community support systems for the coordinate outreach and identification efforts Veteran and family, including mental health and/ and to facilitate homeless Veterans’ use of the or additional supports. Ultimately, a successful Legion’s services; and transition maintains or enhances the well-being of • Enhance pre-release transition services for Veterans and families, reducing or eliminating risk incarcerated Veterans to include access to factors for homelessness and poor quality of life and safe and affordable housing. helps inspire Veterans to affect positive changes in their own lives.

Key Result Areas: NOTE: VAC has initiated pilot Criminal • Optimize support to Veterans’ families Justice programs in Nova Scotia and Alberta. through Poppy Funds and local, Legion Ontario Command is also working on and non-Legion, financial resources; and development of a similar program. It must also • Re-establish the Royal Canadian Legion be noted that the responsibility for internal Veterans’ Homelessness Advisory Committee treatment programs while incarcerated has yet with the previously established stakeholders. to be determined.

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SECTION 3 | CONCLUSION

Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion owe a The ultimate goal of “Leave the Streets Behind” is tremendous debt of gratitude to those who willingly to prevent and eradicate Veteran homelessness in put their lives on the line to defend our freedom Canada. While it may be naïve to think that there and values, and to help make our country what it will never again be Canadian Veterans without a is today. It is disheartening that in a nation as rich place to call home, the objectives outlined in this as Canada, men and women who have served their Action Plan will ensure that these situations are country now find themselves struggling to attain the atypical. Should any Veteran find him or herself very basic necessities of life – including a place they homeless, the Royal Canadian Legion must ensure can call home. While progress has been made, more that the necessary support is in place to make work needs to be done to reach out and support the experience short-lived and non-recurring. Homeless Veterans and those in crisis or at risk of To do less will mean we are failing to meet our homelessness. One thing is certain: it is unacceptable organization’s Mission and Vision Statement. for any Veteran to face Homelessness in Canada.

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