The head of Harvest House Atlantic says Ottawa’s goal of ending homelessness within a decade is lofty, but setting a target is an important first step.
Leon Baker, executive director of Harvest House Atlantic, told our newsroom that he supports the federal government’s 2026 budget commitment to tackle homelessness through major investments in housing, mental health and addiction services.
“Unless you set a goal, you don’t know what’s achievable,” Baker said. “I love the premise that we are going to end homelessness because it sets the bar high.”
The federal government plans to invest $30 billion to help move people from homelessness into stable housing, expand mental health and addiction treatment, and support prevention programs.
Baker said the investment in housing infrastructure is encouraging, but noted that key challenges remain.
“What I do like is that the federal side is more on building up the infrastructure,” he said. “The provinces need to come up with funding for the operations. That’s what will be interesting to see, how the operational piece hits the ground so nonprofits can do the work that needs to be done in the community.”
Affordable housing should be a top priority
“I think step one is affordable housing,” he said. “We’ve got to have affordable housing that’s properly supported with the right staff and the right qualifications to do the work.”
He also called for stronger integration of mental health, addiction and healthcare services, saying support should be available where people live rather than requiring them to travel to access care.
“I’m a big proponent that anybody in this sector should have mental health and addiction counsellors on site,” he said.
Baker added that governments will likely face a period where both shelters and housing developments require funding at the same time.
“While we’re funding shelters, we need to be building infrastructure and expanding housing units,” he said. “There’s going to have to be an investment upfront to build capacity and support systems.”
Beyond housing, Baker said food security and employment opportunities must also be part of the solution.
“Food security is big,” he said. “We’ve got to have social enterprise. We’ve got to have a way for individuals who experience homelessness to be able to find gainful employment within our community as well.”
Baker added that stable funding for non-profit organizations is also critical, including support for administration and staffing.
