Homelessness in Canada Case Study.

Homelessness in Canada is a worrying scenario. Key statistics and evidence provided by
hostels, emergency shelters, government reports, and advocacy groups indicate that the number
of homeless people is increasing rapidly. In addition, such reports indicate that the composition
of homeless persons has changed from being “derelict” old persons to predominantly young
persons, with majority of them being women and children. Weakened family ties coupled with
domestic violence is a situation that makes many homeless. In addition, large mental institutions
have been closed down thereby causing many ex-mental patients to go on the streets to fend for
themselves. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.To reduce its national deficit and save taxpayers money, the Canadian government has cut funding for housing hence increasing homelessness in the country (Laird, 2007). This
phenomenon has captured the attention of stakeholders and a number of interest groups
determined to end this crisis. Numerous studies indicate that it costs up to three or four times
more to leave a homeless person on the street than to give them a home with support services
(Courchene, 2005). With that, public-private partnerships have been fostered in Canada with an
aim of mitigating the problem of homelessness in Canada.

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The overly scarce supply of housing in Canada is a problem that affects a broad and
diverse portion of the population in the country. A significant number of Canadians are homeless
while majority of them live in poor housing, which has the possibility of threatening their safety,
health and overall dignity (Bryant, 2003). Even though Canada is rated as one of the countries
with top economic performance among G7 countries (Courchene, 2005), the severity of
homelessness in Canada has been recognized by international observers. For instance, recent
conclusions made by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
consider Canada’s housing and homeless problem as being in what they terms as a state of “national emergency” urging the Canadian government to urgently implement a national
strategy (Boase, 2000). Homelessness in Canada Case Study.Among the strategies proposed includes measurable goals and timelines,
complaints procedure, transparent accountability mechanisms, and consultation and collaboration
with the affected communities.
In line with the above, much has however been done in trying to address the problem of
homelessness in Canada. Policy options have been designed and some being implemented in an
effort to end homelessness in the country. However, as indicated earlier, diminishing aid in
support of housing in Canada has encouraged partnerships aimed at ending homelessness hence
the rise of public-private partnerships (PPP). How, then, can PPPs play a role in helping to
deliver social housing and ending or reducing homelessness in Canada? The use of PPPs is
however important. For instance, according to Finlayson (2002), the use of PPPs have been
successful in a number of projects across Canada such aiding in the construction of 407 highway
in Ontario and also the Prince Edward Island Link among others. It is argued that PPPs has done
much in the provision of public goods and other services and such moves could be adopted to
mitigate the problem of homelessness in Canada. An attempt to understand the concept of
public-private partnerships, its benefits and challenges, and strengths and weaknesses will be
highlighted. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.

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The Concept of Public-Private Partnerships
There has been a lot of confusion among political and social circles on the concept about
public-private partnerships. However, in order to prevent misunderstanding, it is important to
understand what is meant by the terms public-private partnerships. According to the Canadian
Council for Public-Private Partnerships, PPPs is defined as being a cooperative venture between
public and private sectors, built on expertise of each partner that meets clearly defined public needs by means of appropriate allocation of resources, risks and rewards (Flinders, 2005).
Another prevalent misconception of the term is the fact that it is a synonym for privatization.
However, as Bult-Spiering and Dewulf (2006) argue, in a partnership, public and private actors
or parties do participate in cost sharing and other responsibilities but in the case of privatization,
overall responsibility is transferred to the private sector. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.
Broadly speaking, majority of governments across the globe are increasingly partnering
with the private sector in a bid to deliver public services. Due to severe fiscal constraints coupled
with technological changes, many governments are finding it hard to uphold large-scale
investments in the provision of public services (Bult-Spiering and Dewulf, 2006). It is for this
reason that PPPs have been fostered in an aim to deliver such services.
PPPs as a Way Forward
There are many forms of PPS. According to Boase (2000), there are four types of
partnerships that illustrate decision-making and power-sharing arrangements. They include
consultative arrangements, contributory partnerships, community development arrangements,
and collaborative partnerships. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.Even though broader literature on PPP is very extensive, little research has been carried out on the role that PPPs can play in providing housing and ending or
reducing the rates of homelessness in Canada. However, some scholars such as Bult-Spiering
and Dewulf (2006) are lately acknowledging that such partnerships can play role in mitigating
this crisis. While limited research on PPPs exists, there are many reasons to believe that
partnerships do offer one way forward in efforts to reduce homelessness through the provision of
affordable housing.
Even though wide scholarly debate on PPPs does bring out some real concerns based on
long-term effectiveness of PPPs with the possibility that they act in compromising the social good of a given public service, homelessness in Canada is rapidly increasing with many
Canadians struggling to pay for suitable and adequate housing. Therefore, under the current set
of circumstances, partnerships between public and private sectors are an option worthy of
consideration in helping to address homelessness in Canada (Liard, 2007). Homelessness in Canada Case Study.
In the absence of subsequent government funding, public-private partnerships have been
the key to ending homelessness in Canada. PPPs have been innovative in trying to reduce or end
homelessness in Canada by undertaking a number of projects such as building housing units for
low-income earners. Some of the projects undertaken due to these partnerships include Bob
Ward Residence in Calgary, Regent Park in Toronto, and Housing Opportunity Partnership in
Winnipeg (Courchene, 2005). Through PPPs, the Bob Ward Residence project was undertaken
with an aim of constructing three-storey apartment buildings in Calgary that targeted persons
with mental illness, physically disabled, and those living below the poverty line. Through
contributions made by both the public and private sectors, the project was a joint venture
between a number of stakeholders in Calgary aimed at reducing or ending homelessness through
the construction of decent housing (Bridgman, 2003). Homelessness in Canada Case Study.
In line with the above, Regent Park in Toronto was another partnership project between
Toronto Community Housing Corporation and the Daniels Corporation aimed at replacing 2,083
rent-geared-to-income units with more than 3,330 mixed income housing units in order to
enhance success in affordable housing while greatly minimizing the risk of people becoming
homeless. Lastly, the Housing Opportunity Partnership in Winnipeg is another joint venture
between the public and the private sector. This was an innovative non-profit housing
revitalization program dedicated to restoring a number of Winnipeg’s rundown neighborhood
and streets and availing them to the homeless persons hence reducing this crisis significantly (Laird, 2007). In sum, it is evident that a number of factors such as commitment by partners,
synergistic relations among all parties, the presence of an industry leader and delineated roles
and responsibilities from each partner have been successful in promoting decent housing and
ending homelessness in Canada. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.
Benefits and Challenges of Public-Private Partnerships to the Canadian citizens
There are a number of benefits or advantages of public-private partnerships worth
mentioning. To the Canadian citizens, such a model has been beneficial in a number of ways.
First, they have been successful in reducing the problem of homelessness in major cities across
Canada. Through joint partnerships between the public and the private sector, decent housing
facilities targeting low-income earners have been constructed hence helping majority of citizens
from becoming homeless. With such partnerships, cheaper or affordable homes have been
constructed hence reducing the state of homelessness to a significant number of individuals in
the country (Finlayson, 2002). Through such partnerships, house subsidies have been availed to
occupants hence making majority of them affordable to low to middle income earners in many
cities across Canada. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.

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Finlayson (2002) further argues that apart from the benefits that come with such
partnerships, some challenges exist. For instance, it is argued that such joint ventures may be a
bit costly to the public. In the event of a disagreement, the citizens will be left to pick up the bill
at the end of the day. In addition, the management of any risks that may occur in such
partnerships is at times poor. Moreover, PPPs may experience some logistical or other
unforeseen challenges and they can always walk away leaving the citizens to pick up the pieces. Building stronger PPPs
PPPs have been used by majority of government to carry out a wide range of
infrastructure, buildings, schools, roads, hospitals, defence, and government offices among
others. In developing countries, multinational companies and development banks have been at
the forefront encouraging the spread of PPPs, especially in housing, water, and energy sectors
(Finlayson, 2002). However, despite massive promotion to market PPPs, majority of these
partnerships are lately reducing in number. In Canada, according to Boase (2000), such
partnerships have been crucial in providing housing hence reducing the problem of homelessness
by significant margins. However, despite facing enormous challenges, there are possible ways or
paths that can be followed on how to ensure that the strengths of such partnerships are increased
while weaknesses reduced or minimized. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.
It is argued that the future of public-private partnerships that provide housing, especially
in Canada is bright. However, a number of challenges loom. For instance, on the government
side, some of the ongoing challenges include how to manage partnerships, planning, and how to
actually move money (Forchuk et al., 2015). On the corporate sector, some of the challenges
include aspects such as how to build and manage a multi-sector company, how to manage risks,
or how to manage any problem that may arise in the partnership. Other challenges include the
difficulty of measuring the impact of working together in a partnership versus working alone.
In order to increase the strengths and reduce some weaknesses in PPPs, relationship is
important. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.Even though PPPs are partnerships, underneath, they are relationships. Building a
strong lasting partnership by making sure relationship management is emphasized is important.
Secondly, maintaining communication between partners is a recipe for success. Partners need to
make sure that they keep communication lines open or even make sure that they create a schedule for communications (Flinders, 2005). Staying in touch allows parties in a union to
remain on the same page. Third, partners must have a common bond that links them together.
They must have that thing that brings them together. In our case, there was evidence of a
partnership between Toronto Community Housing Corporation and the Daniels Corporation, a
well-established private builder-developer in Ontario. Both had common interests. Lastly, a two-
way value must be established. What each party brings in a partnership agreement must be
established. This is a two-way value meaning that both parties are able to see the contributions of
the each other (Flinders, 2005). Homelessness in Canada Case Study.

Conclusions

In a recap, Canada’s state of homelessness is worrying. What started as a small problem
in early 1990s has turned out to become a “national disaster” requiring national emergency. As
federal and provincial governments seem to have withdrawn their commitment towards ending
homelessness by providing better housing coupled with changes in housing policy, the social
housing sector has had to search for alternative solutions. For this reason, public-private
partnerships have been fostered across many places in Canada as one of the possible solutions
aimed at addressing the problem of homelessness through the construction of affordable housing. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.
As evident, challenges have been prevalent but so are the benefits. Successful housing
partnerships have been undertaken hence keeping majority of citizens in homes where safety and
their overall well-being is guaranteed.

References

Bridgman, R. (2003). Bridging Public-Private Partnerships in a Case Study of Housing and
Employment Training for Homeless Youth. Canadian Journal of Urban Research, 12(2),
205-230.
Boase, J. (2000). Beyond Government? The Appeal of Public-Private Partnerships.
Canadian Public Administration, 42(1), 75-92. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.
Bryant, T. (2003). The Current State of Social Housing in Canada as a Determinant of Health.
Policy Options. Online. Retrieved from: www.irpp.org/po/archive/mar03/bryant.pdf.
Bult-Spiering, Mirjam, & Geert, D. (2006). Strategic Issues in Public-Private
Partnerships: An International Perspective. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing
Courchene, T, J. (2005). Balanced Budget: A Canadian Fiscal Value. A paper presented
at the international conference “The Long-Term Budget Challenges: Public Finance and
Fiscal Sustainability in the G-7.” Washington, DC.
Forchuk, C., Reiss, J. P., Mitchell, B., Ewen, S., & Meier, A. (2015). Homelessness and housing
crises among individuals accessing services within a Canadian emergency department.
Journal Of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, 22(6), 354-359.
Finlayson, J. (2002). The What and Why of Public-Private Partnerships. Policy Perspectives, 9,
(1), 1-6. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.
Flinders, M. (2005). The Politics of Public-Private Partnerships. Political Studies
Association 7, 215-239.
Laird, G. (2007). Homelessness in a Growth Economy: Canada’s 21st Century Paradox.
Calgary: Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership. Homelessness in Canada Case Study.