The Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, launched a call for concepts for innovative projects to prevent and eliminate homelessness under the Community Capacity and Innovation stream of Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.

The Government of Canada is providing approximately $6 million over three years, starting in 2021–22, for scalable projects that will test and develop new and innovative approaches to addressing homelessness in communities across the country.

Project concepts must address at least one of the following three priorities:

  • Testing or developing interventions for specific populations, such as Indigenous people, youth, seniors, LGBTQ2, women fleeing violence, veterans, or Black and racialized Canadians.
  • Developing strategic partnerships that contribute to community collaboration, increase capacity building within the homeless-serving sector, or build connections between sectors or different levels of government.
  • Developing effective practices or innovative techniques to measure the scope of homelessness or address data gaps related to homelessness, including hidden homelessness.

Priority consideration will be given to large-scale multi-year projects, projects serving Indigenous communities and projects addressing homelessness in the territories.

Concepts can be submitted by completing a concept application form and submitting it via email to hkd-dci@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca by June 11, 2021. Concepts will be evaluated by a review committee, and selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals for consideration in the summer.