Support is growing for the Homelessness Prevention and Housing Benefit plan, but we need more news coverage if we’re going to get the attention of decision-makers. That’s where you come in! Thank you for writing a letter to the editor to sound the alarm and build community awareness.

We've drafted a template for you in the tool, but we strongly recommend customizing your letter. Here are some points you could include:

• The cost of living is skyrocketing, leaving hundreds of thousands of households at imminent risk of homelessness and making it harder for tens of thousands of people already experiencing homelessness to get back into housing.
• This wave of new homelessness is on the scale of some of Canada’s largest natural disasters. We must act. There’s a new Homelessness Prevention and Housing policy proposal that would help low-income Canadians afford housing costs as they weather the storm of inflation.
• The Homelessness Prevention and Housing Benefit is a targeted benefit that pays people directly to help with their rent and other essentials. It will prevent large-scale human tragedy, while reducing pressure on Canada’s overwhelmed homeless systems and preserving capacity in other public systems, like healthcare.
• Using rent or income support is a rapid and effective way to prevent homelessness. The United States’ response to COVID included emergency rental assistance for people at risk of eviction which prevented millions from losing their homes.
• Continuing to build affordable housing is critical. But this wave of new homelessness and the human tragedy it will cause can be prevented right now.
• We are stronger and safer as a community when we all have stable, affordable places to live.