March 23rd, 2021
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland
Minister of Finance
The Honourable Minister Ahmed Hussen
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
House of Commons Ottawa,
Ontario Canada
K1A 0A6
Re: the importance of increasing the rapid housing fund
Dear Prime Minister, Deputy Minister Freeland, and Minister Hussen,
I am thankful for the Rapid Housing Initiative to create housing for vulnerable Canadians. The speed with which the program was announced, created, and administered was impressive. I thank you, your staff, and public service workers who helped deliver the program.
The oversubscription to the program is a testimony to the value it holds for communities across the country. In fact, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities is suggesting your budget include another $7B for the Rapid Housing Initiative to create 24,000 new permanent affordable homes.
In my riding of Fredericton, there was an incredible project that didn’t make the cut with the original $500M in the municipal stream. I am writing to ask you to significantly increase the RHI fund and approve a second wave of projects as soon as possible.
Canadians need bold leadership to withstand the twin crises of COVID-19 and homelessness.
Sincerely,
Jenica Atwin
Member of Parliament for Fredericton
