The Next 26
This campaign is a community response to a fire that left 26 people homeless on Thanksgiving in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
While it has been a challenge re-housing these individuals due to a lack of decent affordable rental housing, our community has rallied an overwhelming show of support. This event shows that Fredericton is an innovative city with the resources and heart to respond to a serious crisis.
Now people are asking "What's Next?"
This crisis has raised the alarm about a devastatingly chronic issue in our community, and that is homelessness. For every individual displaced by the Thanksgiving Day fire, there are 30-50 individuals experiencing homelessness.
Upwards of 300,000 Canadians experience homelessness every year, and this issue is much more costly than the change you might offer a panhandler. We spend $4.5 billion per year in the public and charitable sector just to treat the symptoms.
In Fredericton, we are missing the mark with millions spent on managing symptoms instead of tackling the cause. Fortunately, there is a better way!
Our Dream
Today you can join a growing movement of Canadians focused on ending homelessness.
Our goal is to build affordable housing in downtown Fredericton based on the concept of "Housing First."
This is a radically simple idea: Provide immediate affordable housing and supports to chronically homeless individuals. It is proven to be effective, and more affordable than bandaid solutions.
Phase one of our campaign is to acquire property in downtown Fredericton and conduct pre-development planning to make our dream a success.
If you are tired of bandaid responses and temporary fixes, please support our campaign. A bandaid lasts a day, a well built home lasts hundreds of years.
Support the development of Housing First in Fredericton and reap the satisfaction in knowing you have made a 100 year contribution to your community toward ending homelessness.
We can do this together. You can help.
A bit about Housing First
Canadians have been learning about Housing First thanks to a significant research study by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. The key findings can be summarized as follows:
- Housing First improves the lives of those who are homeless and have a mental illness.
- Housing First makes better use of public dollars, especially for those who are high service users.
- Housing First can be implemented across Canada.
To see "Housing First" in action, check out www.nfb.ca/athome
About the Community Action Group on Homelessness
The Community Action Group on Homelessness is a Fredericton based network of frontline nonprofits, government liaisons and community leaders working on ending homelessness. We rally behind "A Plan, Not a Dream: How to End Homelessness in 10 Years."
To see the Community Action Group on Homelessness in action, go to www.cagh.ca
Friends of Isaac's Way
When disaster struck on October 7th, this group mobilized from the thin air to fill the void left by fire. Jam packed full of awesome, they continue to work hard in support of this campaign toward ending homelessness in Fredericton. To learn more, check out the Friends of Isaac's Way on Facebook.