New funding announced to combat homelessness in Abbotsford

WATCH: The City of Abbotsford has struggled to help people get off the streets — and has had a reputation of not being welcoming to the homeless. Today, new funding was announced, but critics say it won’t solve the problem. Jennifer Palma reports.

The federal government announced $400,000 for a program in Abbotsford that will help the homeless population.

“Our Government is proud to support the City of Abbotsford in its efforts to combat homelessness here in our community. The project will provide a sustainable foundation on which Abbotsford can establish a Housing First approach,” said Abbotsford MP and Minister for International Trade Ed Fast at today’s announcement.

The project will set up a coordinated intake and referral system in the city, working with social agencies to get homeless people in stable housing as a first priority.

Abbotsford has struggled to deal with a burgeoning homeless population in recent years. The city came under fire in 2013 for dumping chicken manure on a homeless camp, and in 2014 another homeless camp was controversially evicted.

“The road we were on was not working. There’s been a monumental shift with our staff and this council to embrace Housing First, “says Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun. He says in the past few months they’ve announced a 50-bed facility to deal with mental health issues, the opening of a treatment centre for men, and a homeless coordinator, among other initiatives.

READ MORE: B.C. government provides $2.4M for supportive housing in Abbotsford

The city will receive the funding over the course of three years, and the federal government hopes it will create a template that can be used in other mid-sized cities in Canada.

Pivot Legal Society, which has taken the City of Abbotsford to court over its treatment of homeless people in parks, criticized the announcement.

“I don’t think there’s anything new to learn. We have researched this to death, a series of announcement, and still nothing has changed since the chicken manure was dumped,” said Jesse Wegenast with 5 and 2 Ministries.