Veterans groups demand government help amid expected 'surge' in homelessness

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A decade after the Canadian flag was lowered in Afghanistan, advocacy groups are calling for government support for those who fought, saying these veterans are the most at risk of becoming homeless.

Alan Mullawyshyn, executive director of the Canadian Veterans Home, said a “bubble” of veterans who served in Afghanistan more than 10 years ago will “soon burst” on the streets.

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“We're 10 years in and, according to experts, that's when people start to fall behind,” Molawishin said. “So we hope this bubble bursts.”

His claim follows a 2019 study suggesting that more homeless veterans reported enlisting a decade before experiencing homelessness.

Canadian combat operations in Afghanistan ended in 2011, and in 2014, the last Canadian soldiers quietly returned home.

The estimated number of homeless veterans across Canada ranges from 2,400 to more than 10,000. Veterans are two to three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population and are disproportionately represented among the homeless.

Molawishin said during a news conference that the Canadian Veterans Home and other organizations that support homeless veterans are not prepared for this increase. Interview with the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs.

In Molawishin's view, the best way to address the homeless veteran crisis is through housing support, which primarily falls under provincial jurisdiction, and operational funding for Veterans Support Initiatives, which is jurisdiction federal.

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“These two pieces together make a complete package,” he told the committee. “It's an effort to bring all the cats together to bring everyone together and find solutions.”

A policy report last year also emphasized this two-pronged approach. He said the problem of homeless veterans will not be solved “without clear federal leadership or coordination.”

They are very mobile and you may never hear from them again.

However, for both, Molawishin says there is little coordination and support.

The Homeless Veterans Program, a federal project that funds programs like the Veterans Home, does not provide reliable income, he said. He added that he was “not sure if this was a one-off program or if it would continue for years to come.”

If the veterans home had a dedicated pipeline for federal funds, counties and municipalities would be more inclined to prioritize the homelessness crisis for veterans, Molawishin said.

“We can scale faster, offer more services and be able to contribute something.”

Brad Field, president of Homes for Heroes, echoed this while attending a Senate subcommittee meeting via Zoom.

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“In serving our veterans, there is always this innate competition because we are all striving for funding,” he said.

“No one wants to donate money for our salaries,” Molawishin added. “That's why it's so difficult to get operational financing.”

According to Mullawishen, Veterans Home Canada has recently faced another “huge policy gap” when it comes to housing homeless veterans through the federal government's Homeless Veterans Program.

The Homeless Veterans Program also provides rental funding to initiatives like Veterans' House Canada to house veterans.

However, when these people leave suddenly, often due to mental health or substance abuse issues, Molawishin said the veterans home is ultimately left without rental assistance.

“They are very mobile and you may never hear from them again,” he said.

It proposes giving homeless veterans the opportunity to apply for funding directly from the federal government.

“We're trying to set them up for success so they can move forward, but we can't keep up with them,” Molawishin added. “Then why can't they apply for rent (assistance)?

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“This is not where you want us to spend our time,” Field said, emphasizing that the time we spend soliciting resources for homeless veterans could be allocated elsewhere, such as “actually taking care of our veterans.”

“Everyone loves structures and buildings because they can name them and they can stand in front of them,” he said. “But no one wants to pay a utility bill the next day, so operational financing is key.”

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