Alberta creates homelessness advisory panel as housing issues persist

The Government of Alberta is reorganizing its approach to homelessness as new issues arise across the province.

An increase in the number of homeless people in rural and Indigenous areas, paired with a growing portion of the housed population at risk of homelessness, means tweaks to the system are needed.

Jason Nixon, the minister of community and social services, will soon be creating an advisory panel to further inform the government on the issue.

“We need to work as a government to bring this into a central process to make sure we’re bringing wraparound support around individuals and connecting them to the excellent providers that we have,” Nixon said.

The panel, which will include members from across the province, is to be co-chaired by United Conservative Party MLA Justin Wright and the Lethbridge Housing Authority’s Robin James.

“I think it’s vitally important to really get a hold of the experts and get them all in one room and start having conversations about how different communities have different challenges,” Wright told CTV News.

Nixon couldn’t say exactly when the rest of the panel will be chosen but expects it to start work and report back sometime next year.

“One of the main focuses I want the new group to look at is how we interact with the broader social services system, but also with the health-care system,” he said.

Alberta's Action Plan on Homelessness will also see the province try to streamline grant administration.

Money will soon go directly to those groups with boots on the ground, rather than to seven umbrella organizations, which is the current model.

“It will not result in funding reductions but will result in more money going to frontline services and less red tape in the process,” Nixon said.

As of the last count in 2022, roughly 2,800 people in Calgary were homeless.

A 2023 University of Calgary report found nearly 115,000 others were at risk of losing their shelter.