Trudeau’s Massive $207M Coronavirus Fund To Help Canadians

TDS News
Breaking News
April 4, 2020

Justin Trudeau Increased Funding To Help Canadians Affected By The Coronavirus

The health and safety of all Canadians continue to remain the top priority for the Canadian Government, especially the uniquely vulnerable. That is why the Federal Government continues to make investments in those who are most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic—those experiencing homelessness and women fleeing gender-based violence.

The Trudeau Liberal Government is reconfirming its immediate investment of $207.5 million to help fund these organizations to meet the real and increasing needs they are facing.

“Canadians experiencing homelessness are at heightened risk of contracting COVID-19. We must ensure that the homeless-serving sector is prioritized. I believe this investment in Reaching Home will go a long way to effectively supporting those who need it most.”
– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

This funding will be provided in the following ways:

$157.5 million to help fund the needs of Canadians experiencing homelessness through the Reaching Home program. The funding could be used for a variety of needs such as purchasing beds and physical barriers for social distancing and securing accommodation to reduce overcrowding in shelters.
$40 million to be given to help fund Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), up to $30 million of which will address immediate needs of shelters and sexual assault centres as follows:
- Up to $26 million in funding to help Women’s Shelters Canada to distribute to approximately 575 violence against women shelters across the country; and
- Up to $4 million to the Canadian Women’s Foundation to distribute the funding to sexual assault centres across the country.
WAGE is also working with the Government of Quebec on the implementation of this important initiative to support women’s shelters and sexual assault centres in Quebec.
$10 million in funding provided to Indigenous Services Canada’s (ISC) to help existing network of 46 emergency shelters on reserve and in Yukon to support Indigenous women and children fleeing violence.

These new funds will flow directly to shelters and will provide them with additional operational funding to manage or prevent an outbreak in their facilities.
The operational funding will be delivered through ISC’s Family Violence Prevention Program. The amount for each shelter will be determined based on factors such as on-reserve population, remoteness, and number of beds.

There are over 15,400 emergency shelter beds distributed in more than 400 emergency shelters across Canada.
Of the $157.5 million in Reaching Home funding, Canada’s largest cities will receive allocations in the following amounts: Ottawa ($7,213,954), Toronto ($22,169,573), Hamilton ($2,548,685), Vancouver ($13,522,453), Winnipeg ($2,936,322), Calgary ($13,517,143), Edmonton ($7,572,510), Halifax ($1,557,674), St. John’s ($979,047), Moncton ($669,162). In Quebec, this Reaching Home funding will be administered through a new Canada-Quebec Agreement that respects the jurisdiction and priorities of both governments.

“We’ve asked Canadians to self-isolate and to stay home in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But not every home is safe. These investments support hundreds of women’s shelters, sexual assault centres, and Indigenous women’s organizations across the country. Our goal is to support the organizations who provide vital services to survivors of gender-based violence so they can prevent and respond to COVID outbreaks, stay safe and continue being a lifeline to those who need them most. To those experiencing domestic violence and gender-based violence: speak to someone you trust and seek help. You are not alone.”
– The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P., Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety and security of Indigenous peoples in Canada is my sole focus, especially when it comes to the most vulnerable. Indigenous women and children fleeing violence should get the support they need, when they need it. This is why we are making sure that First Nation communities have the resources they need to prepare for and address the needs of the women and children facing violence during the COVID-19 pandemic and help manage or prevent outbreaks in First Nation shelters.”
– The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada

Visit the Gender-Based Violence Knowledge Centre (KC) for access to timely and relevant information, evidence, resources and research in a single platform. The KC also provides a searchable database, which brings together existing data and evidence on content related to gender-based violence.