The 519 welcomes the renewed investment in the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan and the commitment to ongoing funding. We see real promise in the budget’s investments in affordable and non-market housing, supportive and transitional housing, and homelessness prevention. These are essential investments for our communities. A safe, affordable home can make it possible to leave violence, access care, find stability and build a life.

These commitments deserve recognition; however, they do not fully address the complex needs of our communities. Every day at The 519, we see community members facing overlapping pressures related to poverty, discrimination, housing insecurity and displacement. Investments in our communities must be able to reach people facing the most significant barriers, and community organizations must have the sustained resources to support them.

Additionally, all commitments made by the government require clear implementation plans, timely funding, and accountability for who benefits. We call for firm agreements at all levels of government to deliver affordable homes and sustain the services attached to them, with 2SLGBTQ+ communities involved in their design. Homes must be accessible at all income levels, and services must be safe and accessible for 2SLGBTQ+ people. Funding construction must be matched by reliable funding for operations, and the supports people need to remain housed. Community organizations need accessible, multi-year funding to cover the cost of delivering services, including core operations, as well as funding that can reach smaller grassroots groups.

We have significant concerns about the failure to restore and strengthen international assistance. For queer and trans people facing persecution, humanitarian assistance and support for local human rights organizations can be a lifeline. Canada’s commitment to equality must include people living in places where their identities put their freedom and their lives at risk.

Our federal government has a responsibility to fund protection abroad, provide meaningful pathways to resettlement, and to ensure people can seek asylum and access support in Canada. These responsibilities are all inter-connected. The people affected are members of our communities, including the families, partners and loved ones of people already in Canada.

Broadly speaking, there is also an ongoing need to fund projects and community organizations that cannot be sustainably met through short-term grants. Essential services require experienced staff, accessible space, and stable operations through long-term funding supports.

Internationally, we call for Canada to reverse reductions in assistance, strengthen supports for organizations supporting LGBTQI+ people facing persecution, and expand safe pathways to protection. People seeking refuge also need access to housing, health care, legal assistance, and settlement support once they arrive.
While we welcome the renewed action plan, and the signal of support for 2SLGBTQ+ communities, the measure of this budget will be whether people can find safety and build a future – and whether the organizations they turn to have the resources to stand alongside them.