Calgary Homeless Foundation’s Initial Reflections on Provincial Budget 2018

CALGARY, Alberta, March 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Minister of Finance Joseph Cecil tabled Budget 2018. Nick Falvo, Director, Research & Data at Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) was invited to participate in the budget lockup and shares the following observations:

For people experiencing chronic and episodic homelessness to remain stably housed, continued long-term funding for permanent housing with program supports is critical.  Dubbed “A recovery built to last,” Budget 2018 included a modest increase in annual provincial funding for Homeless and Outreach Support Services (OSSI):

• OSSI funding for the current fiscal year (2017-18) is $192M. For the 2018-19 year, it will increase to $197M.
• This represents a $5M increase in nominal terms which represents a 1% increase in real terms.

Budget 2018 will ensure continued investment in existing program spaces. “Tough choices had to be made and we are very pleased to see continued investment in critical supports for people experiencing chronic and episodic homelessness,” says Falvo. Over the next few days, CHF will unpack Budget 2018 and provide further analysis on how it addresses our goal of ending homelessness in our city.

About CHF
Through Systems Leadership and mobilization of collective impact the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) is a catalyst and enabler for Systems and Service Agencies to optimize client success. CHF focuses on four strategic pillars of work; Research and Development, Community Mobilization, Funder of Outcomes and Impact, and Public and Political Will. CHF addresses gaps and identifies best practices to improve the system of care. Through mobilization of collective impact, CHF is committed to moving forward in partnership with the many homeless-serving agencies, the private sector, government partners, the faith community, other foundations and all Calgarians to end homelessness in Calgary. For more information, visit calgaryhomeless.com

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