Homeward Trust kicks off campaign to reach most vulnerable homeless

Homeward Trust has launched its Edmonton 20,000 Homes Campaign, a national movement of communities to permanently house 20,000 of Canada’s most vulnerable homeless people by July 1, 2018. The campaign will create a registry to identify needs, prioritize housing efforts, and measure progress throughout the campaign. The focus will be on housing the most vulnerable, chronically homeless in Edmonton – those who have lived on the streets for more than one year, and who face grave health and safety risks because of their homelessness. Street outreach is an essential part of the campaign. “In spite of our success with the Housing First program, we haven’t been able to reach everyone. There are still those who have been living on the streets for years, and we have to do more as a community to ensure we are reaching all the chronically homeless in our city,” said Susan McGee, CEO of Homeward Trust. She said Homeward Trust and its partners have been able to assist 5,000 people in finding permanent housing. November is National Housing month.