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 most at risk of homelessness.
Alan Mulawyshyn, the executive director of Veterans’ House Canada, said a “bubble” of veterans who served in Afghanistan more than 10 years ago will soon “burst” onto the streets.
“We’re 10 years later, which experts say is when people start to fall through the cracks,” Mulawyshyn said. “So we’re expecting this bubble to burst.”
His claim follows a 2019 study suggesting most unhoused veterans report enlisting a decade before they experience homelessness.
Canada’s combat operations in Afghanistan wrapped up in 2011, and in 2014 the last Canadian soldiers quietly came home.
The estimated number of unhoused veterans across Canada varies greatly 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 unhoused.
Veterans’ House Canada and other organizations offering support for homeless veterans are unprepared for this boom, Mulawyshyn said during a Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs meeting.
In Mulawyshyn’s view, the veteran homelessness crisis is best tackled with housing support, which is primarily under provincial jurisdiction, and operational funding for veteran-support initiatives, a federal jurisdiction.
“Those two pieces together is what makes a complete package,” he told the committee. “It is an effort to herd all the cats to bring everybody together to find solutions.”
A policy report last year also emphasized this two-pronged approach. It said that the issue of veteran homelessness will not be solved “without clear federal leadership or coordination.”
They’re very mobile, and some you may never hear from again
Yet, for both matters, Mulawyshyn says there is little co-ordination and support.
He said the Veteran Homelessness Program, a federal government project that funds programs like Veterans’ House, does not provide reliable income. He added that he “(isn’t) sure it’s a one-and-done program or will be continued in future years.”
If Veterans’ House had a dedicated line of federal funding, Mulawyshyn said, provinces and municipalities would be more inclined to prioritize the veteran-homelessness crisis.
“We could expand quicker, provide more services, and be able to bring something to the table.”
Brad Field, president of the Homes for Heroes Foundation, echoed this while attending the Senate subcommittee meeting over Zoom.
“When servicing our veterans, there’s always this innate competition because we’re all striving to gain access to the funding,” he said.
“Nobody wants to donate money for our salaries,” Mulawyshyn added. “And that’s why it’s challenging to secure operational funding.”
According to Mulawyshyn, Veterans’ House Canada recently grappled with another “huge policy gap” when it comes to housing homeless veterans through the federal government’s Veterans’ Homelessness Program.
The Veteran Homelessness Program also offers rent funding for initiatives like Veterans’ House Canada to shelter veterans.
However, when these individuals move out suddenly, often due to mental-health issues or substance use, Mulawyshyn said Veterans’ House is ultimately left with unused rental aid.
“They’re very mobile, and some you may never hear from again,” he said.
He suggests offering homeless veterans the opportunity to apply directly to the federal government for funding instead.
“We’re trying to set them up for success so they can move on, but we can’t follow them,” Mulawyshyn added. “So why can’t they apply for rental (aid)?
“That’s not where you want us to spend our time,” said Field, who emphasized that the time spent applying for resources for unhoused veterans can be allocated elsewhere, such as “actually taking care of our veterans.”
“Everybody likes the structures and buildings because they can put their name on it, they can stand in front of it,” he said. “But nobody wants to pay the utility bill the day after — operational funding is key.”
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