Old Brewery Mission to receive federal funding to help homeless veterans

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) is giving $6 million to community organizations that help homeless veterans, including Montreal's Old Brewery Mission, which said veterans make up about five per cent of the homeless population.

The government, however, doesn't know for certain how many of its veterans are experiencing homelessness, according to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, who was at the shelter this morning to make the announcement.

That's precisely why they're investing in people on the ground who work with the population, Lawrence MacAulay said, adding that investing in community groups means they can reach those in need more directly.

MacAulay said veterans struggling with PTSD, addiction, and other mental health issues are often reluctant to reach out to the government for help and end up falling through the cracks.

"Veterans have pride and they want to feel good as you and I want to feel good about ourselves. And that's why what we want to do --to make sure they understand that they're a valuable member of society," MacAulay said.

To date, the Old Brewery Mission alone has received more than $1.6 million from VAC to fund a program that is specifically tailored to the needs of veterans.

Spokesperson Marie-Pier Therrien explained that their program is a service that's tailor-made to fit their specific needs.

"We work with them at their rhythm, we make sure we build a solid trust, which is also another challenge with that specific group and the result has been fantastic since 2017," she said.

MacAulay also spoke about the challenges this population faces and the attention to detail that's needed to be able to come up with solutions.

"There are many issues and, of course, with women veterans and that's why we do the research and the needs and requirements but with male veterans without a doubt addictions is a problem and of course when you enter an institution like this they deal with that issue and many others," he said.

Women make up about 10 per cent of the veteran population but there is very little research available on how to help them transition back into civilian life.

The minister also announced that $250,000 in funding will be made available to researchers at McGill University to study the specific needs of women in this group.

Deborah Da Costa, an associate professor at McGill, specializes in the health of women civilians.

"I work with mothers during the post-partum period. I work with women who have chronic conditions later in life, and then I realized that if it's tough for them, imagine how tough it must be for veteran women," Da Costa explained.

Those who work at the mission are grateful to receive solid evidence from experts that can help them develop policies and strategies.

"In homelessness, we know that research and data is always tricky to get and mental health and homeless is always very close. We know a lot of our veterans are struggling with mental health issues so to be able to understand it better at the source will also be beneficial for us," said Therrien.