In 2019, Parliament passed the National Housing Strategy Act, recognizing housing as a human right. What does that mean to you? Of course, everyone should have a place where they can be sheltered from the elements, but what does it really mean to have a right to housing? 

When I began my career with The Salvation Army, I worked at a shelter for youth who were experiencing homelessness in Sutton, Ont. At the time, the shelter had 16 beds for emergency shelter and 10 beds for transitional housing, as well as a large gymnasium with an adjacent kitchen, bathrooms and a multi-use activity room. In the summer of 2011, a fire broke out in the middle of the night at a nearby apartment building. The fire department called our chaplain and asked if we could help, which we were happy to do. Cots were set up in the gym where all the people from the apartment building could sleep and be comfortable and safe.

The next day, there was a flurry of activity. Agencies and government officials from the municipal government came to our little town to find housing solutions for everyone displaced by the fire. It took roughly seven days, with the help of many people working together. The youth at the shelter were eager to help and did an excellent job tending to the people in the gymnasium, delivering them meals and toiletries.

Once the individuals were all relocated, we facilitated a debrief session for the youth so they could discuss what had happened over the last week. The most resounding piece of feedback we received was the question, “What about us?” They had watched a community come together to quickly find housing solutions for people displaced by a fire in their community, and they wondered why the community was not actively helping them, too.

This experience stuck with me and inspired me to focus on innovative housing solutions that involve the community. In The Salvation Army, we recognize that homelessness is not only a matter of individual circumstances or loss, but also the result of structural factors and systemic failure. Other than basic, affordable housing stock, the lack of supportive housing is one of the largest gaps in our country’s housing system, and we recognize that tackling and solving homelessness requires intervention at the individual and societal levels.

As a service provider, The Salvation Army cannot solve homelessness alone. We must partner with others in co-ordinated systems of care. These co-ordinated response systems may look and operate differently, depending on the needs of a given community. Wherever possible, the Army should be at the table when systems are being designed, evaluated or expanded. Data-sharing, co-ordinated access and shared and integrated (evidence-based) best practices are all important parts of this systems-level response to homelessness.

During my time with Belinda’s Place, an emergency shelter for women in York Region, Ont., we tested some housing solutions, such as the second-stage housing program. This transitional housing program, which partners with local landlords to create housing options for women leaving the shelter, was designed with Housing First Principles. Housing First programs are based on four pillars: choice, available housing stock, affordable rent or rent subsidies, and community support. 

The second-stage housing program, which has been very successful and has been adopted by other municipalities, is now part of the fabric of housing programs administered by Salvation Army ministries across Canada. It includes permanent supported housing in market units, many with subsidies attached. 

In 2019, the territorial management board commissioned a working group to make recommendations for The Salvation Army in light of Canada’s new national housing strategy. That exercise identified an opportunity to prioritize longer-term solutions to homelessness over short-term, stop-gap measures.  

In fall 2022, The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda published a new operating policy on housing and shelters, replacing the original policy. This policy clarifies the Army’s role in developing projects that meet the needs of people experiencing housing instability and homelessness, allowing ministry units to enter landlord and tenant relationships with clients and provide opportunities for mission-driven, support-based permanent housing.

The territorial social mission department developed a supportive housing solutions lab that has worked closely with two ministry units that have recently begun offering permanent supportive housing for individuals exiting homelessness. This process involves working out multiple complex problems together to benefit the organization and the people we serve.

While The Salvation Army has many accommodation-based programs that provide shelter to individuals and families, most of our programs are dedicated to time-limited stays, with only a handful dedicated to permanent supportive housing, but this is growing. Many of our community-based programs rely on partnerships with local landlords that offer permanent housing solutions and support outside our facilities. These collaborations remind me of what it felt like to be in that gymnasium a decade ago: community members all pitching in to respond to an emergency and solve a shared problem. 

November 22 is National Housing Day. As a community, we can use this opportunity to reflect on housing as a human right, what that means to us and how we can help make it a reality for all. By offering pathways to home, The Salvation Army can meet one of the most basic and vital human needs and participate in the transformation made possible by experiences of love, belonging, connection, stability and felt safety. 

Theresa McLeod-Treadwell is a social mission specialist, research and development, in the social mission department.

Photo: Valentyna Yeltsova/iStock via Getty Images Plus