Aboriginal homelessness continues to be a serious issue in a number of communities. With an investment of $45 million over the next three years, the National Homelessness Initiative (NHI) will continue to address the unique needs of the Aboriginal population through its Urban Aboriginal Homelessness (UAH) component. Recognizing that community responses are best to address local needs, homelessness funding is targeted to coordinated local responses. The UAH component is designed to provide flexibility to meet the needs of homeless Aboriginal people, through culturally sensitive services. There will be no cost-matching requirement; however community contributions will be encouraged where and when possible. UAH will be available to both SCPI funded and non-SCPI funded communities.

UAH will also coordinate with Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) activities designed to improve the well-being of urban Aboriginal people and reduce the disparity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

UAH and the UAS will together be used to support integrated community planning and support projects in eight cities — Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Toronto — to test new ideas on how to better respond, through partnership, to the local needs of urban Aboriginal people. Efforts will focus on enhancing the capacity of Aboriginal organizations to participate in broader community processes and improve the coordination of all levels of government, Aboriginal organizations and other partners to find local solutions to the complex issues facing Aboriginal people.

UAH and the UAS will strive to create more integrated, culturally-appropriate and community-driven strategies, and solutions that address the wide range of needs faced by Aboriginal people in the eight pilot cities. Greater knowledge and awareness of effective approaches to addressing urban Aboriginal issues is important to identifying solutions to homelessness in this population. Federal funding will cover up to 100% of the cost of recommended projects.

In SCPI communities Aboriginal organizations will continue to be part of the broader planning and decision-making process surrounding project selection and funding. In communities where separate plans have been developed, these plans must be linked to the broad community plan. These activities will continue to be linked to the Government of Canada's broader efforts to address urban Aboriginal issues through its Urban Aboriginal Strategy. In non-SCPI communities funding will be determined on a project by project basis for proposals that demonstrate need and that the investments provide appropriate interventions to address local Aboriginal homelessness issues. Project proponents will be encouraged to develop partnerships and other funding sources.