QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. What does poverty and homelessness look like in Moncton?
  • At the time of drafting this document there were 189 people in our community who have been identified to be homeless, 160 of those have been homeless for 6 months or more.
  • The standard social assistance payment is $537/month, while the average rental rate in Moncton is $831/month.​

Q. Is homelessness a priority in Greater Moncton?
  • Members of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton have identified ‘Security and Homelessness’ as the biggest priority at the municipal level. More than 45 percent see it as the priority.

Q. How much does homelessness cost?
  • According to data from HomelessHub.ca, the average monthly costs to house someone who is homeless:
                    shelter bed: $2,353
                    provincial jail: $5,277
                    hospital bed: $13,275
                    rental supplement: $854
                    social housing: $242  
  • The business community reports additional costs with the need for increased security, cleaning, repairs, some loss of customers, and the loss of staff.

Q. How can homelessness be solved in Moncton?
  • Offering long-term and permanent solutions to affordable housing. Emergency shelters are emergency responses only.
  • Implementing a Housing First model, which means housing with support services.
  • Maximizing the savings versus the costs. The At Home/Chez Soi project demonstrated that for every $10 invested in Housing First services, an average of $7.75 resulted in savings.
  • In 2014, the average annual health care cost-savings through At Home/Chez Soi Project were:
    • $8,473 per person: health center office visits
    • $4,220 per person: hospitals
    • $2,731 per person: detox
These figures demonstrate that there are clear benefits to reducing the number of homeless individuals in our community.

Q. Is Moncton ready to end homelessness?
  • Moncton is ready. We are:
    • one of only 32 communities across Canada that has a Built for Zero[1] team;
    • one of only 7 communities nationally to achieve Quality Coordinated Access;
    • one of 14 communities to achieve a Quality By-name List.
  • We are the only city in Atlantic Canada to have achieved these best practice milestones.
  • Our community has banded together to create and support a new non-profit called Rising Tide Community Initiatives, Inc.

Q. How will Rising Tide Community Initiatives, Inc. work?
    The non-profit organization will:
  • employ a Housing First, peer-support model;
  • create permanent housing for 125 individuals experiencing homelessness and provide them with case management services;
  • seek a three-year investment of $6 million ($2M per year) from each the provincial and municipal governments. This investment will allow Rising Tide to create a foundation and leverage funds to fundraise and attract partnerships from the private sector;
  • ensure the annual cost to deliver case management, property management, and peer-support services will be $11,922 per person.

​Q. Who will benefit from this initiative?
  • Individuals experiencing homelessness:  a stable, safe, and affordable housing, coupled with recovery-oriented services and supports, will help these individuals improve their situation.
  • Businesses: reduced loitering, vandalism, theft, and panhandling.
  • Taxpayers: for every $10 invested in Housing First, there will be a $7.75 savings to public services. 
  • Nonprofit agencies: will focus on prevention and recovery.
  • Public systems: health services, courts, criminal justice system, addiction services, provincial and municipal services
  • Community: collectively, we will improve our quality of life.

By the numbers… Rising Tide Community Initiatives Inc. at a glance:
  • Over three years, 125 affordable housing units are planned to be developed, using a harm reduction, peer support model.
  • Financial requests to the City of Moncton and the Province of New Brunswick is $2M/year for three years (each).
  • Case management will be funded at a 1:15 staff-to-client ratio.
  • Cost per person after the three-year project: $11,922 per person, per unit.
 
[1] Built For Zero is a structured, data-driven approach that focuses on optimizing local homeless systems, accelerating the adoption of proven practices, and driving continuous improvement to end homelessness.