The purpose of this directive is to clarify the activities that are related to capital investments that can be supported under Housing First and Non-Housing First dedicated funding.
Housing First Dedicated Funding
The only capital costs that can be funded and count towards the Housing First investment target include:
 Furnishing apartments for Housing First clients.
 Repairing damages in apartments resulting from Housing First clients in private rental market (not social housing).
Non-Housing First Dedicated Funding
Capital investments are intended to preserve or increase the capacity of facilities used to address the needs of people who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. The capital costs that can be funded include:
 new construction;
 purchase;
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 renovation of transitional or permanent supportive housing;
 repurposing facilities (e.g. transitional housing into permanent housing); renovation of emergency shelters; and
 purchase of furniture, equipment, and/or vehicles.
In recognition of infrastructure needs in rural and remote communities and nondesignated communities receiving funding under the Aboriginal Homelessness funding stream, HPS funding may be used to construct or purchase emergency shelters in these communities only.
If a community is going to invest in a capital project, the community and project sponsor must demonstrate they have done the following: linked with the Province or
Territory; encouraged leveraging, and ensured sustainability.
 Linking with the Province or Territory: Efforts should be made to link with provincial, territorial or municipal funding. It is important to provide evidence of the need to purchase, construct, or renovate facilities and that provincial/territorial and municipal partners have been engaged to ensure that the community is best placed to undertake the capital project. This should be demonstrated through the HPS Sustainability Checklist for Applicants of Capital
Investment Projects Footnote6 . HPS funds can be used to complement other capital


 investments made by a province, territory or municipality. However, HPS funding must not duplicate or displace funding from other programs (should be used to fill a gap in these instances).
Encouraging leveraging: Where possible, communities are encouraged to ensure that HPS is not the sole funder in capital projects. For capital projects consisting of new construction or purchase of facilities, the community is required to record the in-kind and financial contributions of each capital investment sub-project funded under HPS.
Ensuring sustainability: Capital projects often represent a significant investment of program funds and provide an asset of enduring value to the community to support their efforts to combat homelessness. Capital projects funded under HPS should lead to new or improved services that will be maintained after project completion. Accordingly, applicants must provide a sustainability plan that demonstrates how the service(s) supported by the capital investment will be maintained once HPS funding has ended. Applicants must identify all relevant funding sources for the operation of the facility and/or new services through their application documents.
In their sustainability plan, organizations must:
 describe their partnerships;
 confirm their funding sources for ongoing operations;
 report if the project will increase the level of services or if they will remain stable; and
 include a timeline for the completion of their activities.
As part of the application process for a sub-project, capital project applicants must follow the Sustainability Checklist in order to demonstrate that the minimum project sustainability standards have been addressed. Applicants seeking capital funding under the regionally delivered HPS funding streams (Designated Communities; Rural and Remote Homelessness; and Aboriginal Homelessness) are required to complete the checklist as part of any proposal to create or expand a facility which could result in increased annual operational costs. The sustainability checklist can also be used to assess sustainability in capital projects that do not incur increased annual operational costs (e.g. equipment purchase or renovations in a facility where no space, beds or units are added or no service is created or expanded).
Communities are responsible to review the checklist completed by applicants through the solicitation or proposals, as part of the assessment process.
Capital Project Expenses and Monitoring (Applicable to both Housing First and
Non-Housing First Dedicated Funding)
As HPS allocations are annual, multi-year projects must be managed (expensed) on a fiscal year basis.
Under certain conditions outlined in Annex C of the Funding Agreement with Canada, capital projects are also subject to monitoring for up to five (5) years after the project

end-date to ensure recipients are compliant with the terms of their funding agreement with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
Service Canada monitors capital investments for emerging issues and may ask for course correction as needed.
Housing First Dedicated Funding
 Furnish housing units for Housing First clients in private market, social or permanent supportive housing (capital costs are limited to furniture, dishes, etc.).
 Repairs of damages resulting from Housing First clients (only in private rental market housing, and within the period a Housing First client is housed through
HPS).
Non-Housing First Dedicated Funding
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Renovation of emergency shelters, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, or non-residential facilities, including: o Renovating an existing facility for upgrades and to meet building standards. o o o
Repurposing an existing property to create transitional housing or permanent supportive housing.
Expanding an existing facility.
Renovating a property following a transfer under the Surplus Federal Real
Property for the Homelessness Initiative (SFRPHI) to create transitional housing and/or permanent supportive housing.
New construction of transitional or permanent supportive housing, or nonresidential facilities, including: o o
Building a facility.
Tearing down an existing facility and building a new one. o Service space where the Investments in Affordable Housing Initiative
(IAH) is building or renovating to create permanent housing.
Purchase of transitional housing, permanent or permanent supportive housing, and non-residential facilities to create new space or units: o Eligible costs related, professional fees, such as consultants, audit, technical expertise, facilitation, legal, and construction contractors, and capital costs of the purchase of a land or building.
 Purchase of furniture, equipment and/or vehicles, including: o o o
Eligible costs related to other capital costs (e.g. vehicles, tools, equipment, machinery, computers, and furniture).
Purchased vehicles must be used exclusively for HPS service delivery.
All capital assets must be man aged in accordance with ESDC’s
Disposition of Capital Assets policy.

 Only under the HPS Rural and Remote Homelessness funding stream and nondesignated communities receiving funding under the Aboriginal Homelessness funding stream: o Capital Investments to build (e.g., pre-development, purchase of land, construction, renovation and purchase of appliances and furniture) new emergency shelter facilities.
Both for Housing First and non-Housing First Dedicated Funding
 Purchase or construction of new emergency shelters (except under the HPS Rural and Remote Homelessness funding stream and non-designated communities receiving funding under the Aboriginal Homelessness funding stream).
 Construction and renovation of housing units whose funding is covered by the bilateral Investments in Affordable Housing Initiative (IAH) agreement with the
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and most Provinces and Territories.
 Affordable or social housing, including: o Repairs to social housing units. o o
Renovation of affordable or social housing units.
Creation of affordable or social housing units.
Footnote 6 The HPS Sustainability Checklist and Guide for Applicants of Capital Investment
Projects and the accompanying HPS Tool to Assist in Developing a Capital Project have been developed to assist applicants. Both are available through your Service Canada representative .

The purpose of this directive is to clarify the activities related to basic needs services that can be supported by Housing First dedicated and non-Housing First dedicated funding.
Housing First Dedicated Funding
The only eligible activity for funding basic needs services under Housing First is for the initial apartment set up. Investments in ongoing basic needs services are not considered eligible activities for the purpose of implementing Housing First, and they cannot count towards the Housing First investment target. Under the Homelessness
Partnering Strategy (HPS), communities are encouraged to partner with relevant sectors to ensure that Housing First clients have access to other support they may require in the subsequent months to be able to live in their units, including, for example, groceries and personal hygiene products.
Non-Housing First Dedicated Funding
Funding for basic needs services should support outcomes that contribute to a reduction in homelessness. For example, short-term food and emergency shelter assistance are eligible activities as a means to assist homeless individuals to obtain placement in more stable housing e.g. transitional, supportive or regular housing.
Longer-term food programs can also be funded if they are part of another intervention that is considered an eligible activity (e.g., serving meals during the delivery of other support services that enable clients to participate in social or cultural activities to assist them with community reintegration).
Communities are encouraged to partner with relevant sectors to ensure that homeless clients using shelters or living on the street access basic needs services, such as food, clothing and blankets.
Housing First Dedicated Funding
 Groceries, personal hygiene and other supplies as part of initial apartment set up for Housing First clients.
Non-Housing First Dedicated Funding
Basic needs services include:
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Access to shower and laundry facilities;
Food services related to food banks, soup kitchens, collective/community kitchens;

 Personal hygiene items;
 Clothing, footwear and blankets;
 Storage for belongings;
 Basic first aid;
 Access to technology (e.g. phones, computers, etc.) in a community setting (e.g.
 in a resource or drop-in centre); and
Bus or public transit tickets related to job search/interviews, appointments/reconnecting to family for example.
It is important that these support services are connected to broader services/strategies to help clients move towards more stable living arrangements
(short, medium or long term) or conditions (i.e. enhanced social integration).
Both for Housing First and Non-Housing First Dedicated Funding
 Delivery of basic needs services that may serve to maintain homeless people on the street rather than stabilize and improve their living conditions, (e.g. distribute food or hygiene kits without any demonstrated outreach or intervention to improve housing stability or social/economic integration for clients as part of the project activities).

The purpose of this directive is to define the population at imminent risk of homelessness and clarify the prevention-related activities that can be supported under Non-Housing First dedicated funding only.
The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) has defined the populations at imminent risk of homelessness as follows:
 Populations at imminent risk of homelessness are defined as individuals or families whose current housing situation end in the near future (i.e. within two months) and for whom no subsequent residence has been identified. These individuals are unable to secure permanent housing because they do not have sufficient resources or support networks immediately available to prevent them from moving to an emergency shelter or a public or private place not meant for human habitation. The population at imminent risk of homelessness is not among the groups that are the focus of Housing First under HPS.
HPS funding targeted towards prevention activities must fit the HPS definition of clients who are “at imminent risk of homelessness”. The examples below describe emergency situations where individuals and families are at imminent risk of homelessness and could be eligible for an HPS funded prevention intervention.
Footnote7
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Individuals or households facing eviction, with a poor rental history and insufficient cash reserves or assets to acquire new housing.
Breakdown in family relations, including separation, conflicts between parents
(caregivers and children), and/or episodes of violence, where one or more parties have insufficient cash reserves or assets to acquire new housing.
Individuals due to be released from institutional care who do not have arrangements made for safe and permanent accommodation upon release.
Institutional care includes criminal justice system, medical/mental health institutions, residential treatment programs or child protection. If these individuals have no fixed address and a history of homelessness, they may fall under the definition of chronic and episodic homelessness.
Non-Housing First Dedicated Funding
Interventions to support individuals and families at imminent risk of homelessness consist of providing:

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Housing loss prevention supports to respond to emergency situations (e.g. support when there is an eviction notice i.e. utility deposit, one-time rent arrears assistance, direct tenant landlord intervention, informing tenants of their rights and responsibilities, financial management services that help people retain their housing and reduce debts, support to solve issues related to hoarding).
Support services (e.g. counselling supports, housing placement etc.) for individuals whose discharge from the health, child protection or criminal justice system is imminent.
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Provision or payment for student housing;
Supports for low-income individuals or families who do not face an imminent risk of homelessness;
Repeated and regular direct funds or income supports to a client in order to maintain housing.
Footnote 7 These examples do not mean that any individual in those groups is automatically at imminent risk of homelessness, as some could have the necessary resources to secure permanent housing.

The purpose of this directive is to clarify the activities related to data collection, sharing, and dissemination that can be supported under Housing First and Non-
Housing First dedicated funding.
Under the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), data collection, sharing and dissemination activities enhance the understanding of local homelessness issues and help support decision-making, longer-term planning and outcome measurement to prevent and reduce homelessness.
Communities need to place an enhanced focus on data collection and analysis at the local level. An information management system on homelessness and shelter use will be a critical tool to support communities in implementing successful Housing First programs and in reporting. Data will play an important role in measuring the progress being made by the HPS at both the community and national level.
Collection and Management of Personal Information
Communities must ensure that personal information is managed according to the applicable laws in the jurisdictions where they operate. In particular, Community
Entities (CEs), Data Coordinators, and service providers are responsible for ensuring the security of personal information that is collected or compiled in the context of their business as it relates to the delivery of the HPS, and that it is protected against such risks as unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure or disposal.
HPS Data Collection
The data collected is used to create a national portrait of homelessness and contributes to knowledge around the issue of homelessness (e.g. through the
National Shelter Study, and the Shelter Capacity Report). Data will be collected through the following sources:
 Community Plans;
 National Homelessness Information System (NHIS) including the Homeless
Individual and Families Information System (HIFIS);
 Results Reporting on-line (RROL).
HPS Expectations
In moving to a Housing First approach, HPS expectations for data collection, sharing, and dissemination are the following:

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For community planning, communities need access to any data that exists in the community, including shelter, census, housing and project data. The community needs to consider whether everyone involved in the local efforts to address homelessness is collecting the data needed to tell the story of the community and the progress around the goal of reducing homelessness.
Communities need to determine the size of their chronic and episodic homeless population on a regular basis, such as year-end, so they can report reductions through HPS-funded activities through Housing First or non-Housing First interventions.
Monitoring and accountability are also important. Projects should be seen as investments that need to be carefully monitored to make sure they are achieving their objectives. Projects that are not achieving expected outcomes or providing good results relative to the investments need to be monitored closely and adjusted accordingly.
Expectations on Shelter Data Collection
Shelter data is key to providing most of the information about emergency shelter users, including chronic and episodic shelter users, as well as other users of particular interest, such as Veterans Footnote8 . The following are the expectations specifically for Community Entities (CEs) under the HPS:
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CEs encourage local shelters and service providers to collect and share data to support decisions based on evidence at the local level. CEs can also mandate sponsors of subprojects to use the Homeless Individuals and Families
Information System (HIFIS) and share data with the CE Footnote9 .
CEs are involved in local efforts to ensure shelter data is collected and used.
Where HIFIS Community Coordinators exist, CEs may want to connect with them to discuss data requirements and develop a plan to access existing resources.
To support the role of the CE regarding shelter data where HIFIS is the data collection system, the following supports are available from HPS:
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Technical supports and training, including E-learning, the HIFIS website, and instructional documents;
HIFIS Support Desk; and
HIFIS Community Coordinators, funded through the NHIS funding stream.

 Collection of data to demonstrate accountability, support decision-making, and inform of the homelessness situation, including point-in-time counts;
 Activities intended to build partnerships for data collection and analysis;
 Gathering, sharing, and disseminating information with the Community Advisory
Board (CAB), CE, and other interested parties about: o the size and composition of the homeless and imminently at-risk o populations, including how the size and/or composition are changing over time; the progress made in preventing and reducing homelessness; o the tracking and monitoring of activities; and o the relevant information needed to make better informed decisions.
 Technical support for data collection, analysis, and management;
 Purchase of equipment to collect and compile data (e.g., computer, server); and
 Hire a local Data Coordinator to perform analysis and report development only where there is not already a NHIS-funded Community Coordinator at the local or provincial level performing these duties.).
Regionally-Delivered Funding Streams: Designated Communities, Aboriginal
Homelessness, and Rural and Remote Homelessness funding streams
 Information gathered or refocused primarily for the purpose of advocacy, public education or awareness;
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Development of shelter data collection systems other than HIFIS;
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Hiring a consultant to compile data to complete Results Reporting On-line;
Local research other than the data collection activities described under “Eligible
Activities”; and
Developing software and/or the purchase of hardware for the collection and management of homelessness data that constitutes a redundant use of funds and duplicates activities already offered through the HIFIS software. For example: purchasing alternative software that performs similar functions to the HIFIS software.
 Footnote 8 HIFIS contains a mandatory data field that enables service providers to identify users that have Canadian military service, which supports the referral and

linkage to Veterans Affairs Canada programs and services. For further information, see Directive 8
–
Supporting Homeless Veterans .
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Footnote 9 Service providers upgrading to HIFIS version 3.8 must sign a Data
Provisioning Agreement ( DPA ) with Employment and Social Development Canada
( ESDC ) to activate the software which automatically shares data with ESDC on quarterly basis. HIFIS 3.8 also contains features that would allow service providers to share data with the CE , however CE s must have the capacity and cooperation of service providers to receive this data