The Edmonton Community Plan on Homelessness provides a three-year $49.3 million plan to advance efforts to address homelessness in Edmonton. A steering committee of the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing, with the assistance of consultants, developed the Edmonton Community Plan on Homelessness using a broad-based consultative process. The committee invited input from 300 people through participation in a Planning Charette in May 2000 and feedback to drafts of the Community Plan. Participants were from the private, not-for-youth and the homeless. The plan recommends actions for funds available through the federal Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI), provincial and municipal government and community funding, along with additional new funding required. It also affirms the sustainability of projects, and outlines communication and evaluation plans. The Community Plan is based on a “continuum of support” concept that focuses on the needs of the homeless, ensures the needs of the absolute homeless are addressed, and enables the homeless to move toward self-sufficiency. The continuum of support system includes needs identification and connection; supportive and preventative services; emergency, transitional and long-term supportive housing; and community awareness. The Community Plan will form the basis for agreements with the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta and the City of Edmonton for funding in 2000-2003 to address the needs of the homeless in Edmonton. Specific objectives are: To develop a computerized database to enable coordinated service delivery; To develop cooperation arrangements among service providers; To expand support and preventative services and add some new services, particularly for Aboriginals and youth; To develop additional emergency units, transitional and longer-term supportive housing; To implement community awareness programs; To use the existing organizational structure to approve project proposals; and To conduct an annual evaluation and provide a public reporting on progress, and a final three year evaluation.

Summary Credit:
Homelessness-Related Research Capacities in Alberta: A Comprehensive Environmental Scan, prepared by Dr. Katharina Kovacs Burns, MSc, MHSA, PhD and Dr. Solina Richter, PhD, RN for The Alberta Homelessness Research Consortium (2010)