May 19, 2004

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC — Mrs. Yolande Thibeault, MP for Saint Lambert, today announced on behalf of the Honourable Claudette Bradshaw, Minister of Labour and Minister responsible for Homelessness, $234,429 in funding for Carrefour Jeunesse Longueuil Rive-Sud for two projects designed to help homeless young people. The funding is provided under the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI), one of the components of the Government of Canada’s National Homelessness Initiative (NHI).

“Carrefour Jeunesse Longueuil Rive-Sud is a very dynamic organization and the Government of Canada is proud to be its partner on these two projects. Improving the lives of young people is a priority for all of us, and this funding will make a positive difference in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community,” stated Mrs. Thibeault.

The Government of Canada’s contribution will be used to renovate the premises of the CAPAB, a learning centre where youths between 16 and 24 years old who are on the streets can take high school courses free of charge in an environment adapted to their needs. The funding will also be used to purchase a new mobile assistance unit and repair an existing unit for the TROC project, through which the organization provides support and responds to emergencies involving young people. Carrefour Jeunesse Longueuil Rive Sud, which has been in existence for twenty years, is known as a dynamic organization, committed to the development of young people.

In July 2003, the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec signed an agreement of cooperation regarding the SCPI and the Regional Homelessness Fund. This agreement respects the jurisdictions, policies and priorities of both governments with regard to homelessness. A joint management committee oversees the coordination of this agreement and is supported in its work by an advisory committee composed of representatives from both levels of government and community organizations.

“The funding we offer is fulfilling the Government of Canada’s desire to cooperate with community organizations such as Carrefour Jeunesse Longueuil Rive Sud, the private sector and various levels of government in finding effective local solutions to reduce homelessness,” stated Minister Bradshaw.

The Government of Canada launched the NHI in December 1999 to support communities’ efforts to help Canadians out of homelessness. From 1999 to 2006, $1.15 billion is being spent towards the federal government’s commitment to addressing homelessness in Canada. Since the inception of the NHI, the Government of Canada has invested over $80 million in more than 450 projects to reduce homelessness in Quebec. The funding for the Initiative comes from the March 2004 federal Budget.

Since December 1999, communities across Canada have undertaken over 1,800 projects, funded wholly or in part by the NHI. These projects will result in: The addition of approximately 8,000 permanent beds in shelters, and transitional and supportive housing. The construction, renovation and improvement of over 1,000 facilities such as shelters, food banks, soup kitchens and drop-in centres. The transfer of 50 properties, worth $9.2 million and approved under the NHI’s Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative, to establish 214 transitional affordable housing units. In addition to Government of Canada investments, the partnerships have leveraged substantial resources, valued at more than a half billion dollars, for the implementation of homelessness projects in Canada.

For more information on the Government of Canada’s NHI, please visit our Web site at: http://www.homelessness.gc.ca/.