National Housing and Homelessness Network
Wednesday, February 23, 2005

 Media advisory
 NHHN on federal budget 2005:

Budget betrays Paul Martin's personal commitment of $1.5 billion for new
homes

 Exactly one year ago today - on February 23, 2004 - Paul Martin met with
social housing advocates and municipalities in Montreal. Emerging from that
meeting, he made a personal commitment to back a new national social
housing program. During the federal election campaign, Martin and the
Liberals promised $1.5 billion in new funding over five years for new
social housing.

 "One year after he personally promised to fund new social housing, Paul
Martin has failed to make good on his own promise," says Michael Shapcott,
co-chair of the National Housing and Homelessness Network. "There is
nothing - zero new dollars - for new housing. Martin has failed to deliver
on his own commitment." About one-in-five Canadian households are facing
desperate housing crisis and hundreds of thousands will experience
homelessness this year. "All of those people trapped in the nation-wide
housing crisis and homelessness disaster have been abandoned by the federal
government."

 The federal government has just concluded a month-long, national housing
and homelessness consultation with the theme: "housing matters." "The
federal government had the opportunity, in its latest budget, to provide
the tools - both funding and programs - to realize their commitments and
provide urgently-needed homes for Canadians," says Shapcott. "The homeless,
and low-income households, have been abandoned."

 * Michael Shapcott, cell: 416-605-8316 (Toronto office: 416-978-1260)
 * Charlottetown - Bill Campbell, 902-894-9993 (cell: 902-626-8667)
* Antigonish - Katherine Reed, 902-364-2232
* Halifax - Paul O'Hara, 902-422-5642, x3
* Montreal - Lucie Poirier, 514-522-1010 (cell: 514-231-2309)
* Ottawa - Tim Aubry, 613-323-3418
* Toronto - Cathy Crowe, 416-599-8372 (cell: 416-560-7235)
* Edmonton - George Kelly, 780-423-1339
* Vancouver - Linda Mix, 604.255.3099, x222
 * * * * * * *

 Michael Shapcott, Research  Co-ordinator
One Percent Solution project,
Toronto Disaster Relief Committee and Co-ordinator,
Community / University Research Partnerships Unit,
Centre for Urban and Community Studies,
University of Toronto,
4th floor, 455 Spadina Avenue,
Toronto, ON, Canada  M5S 2G8
Telephone - 416-978-1260
Facsimile - 416-978-7162
Web -  www.urbancentre.utoronto.ca
Web -  www.tdrc.net

 New from CUCS Press:

Finding Room: Policy Options for a

Canadian Rental Housing Strategy

Details and order form:  www.urbancentre.utoronto.ca

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