Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy is a federal program that provides funding directly to communities to help them address local homelessness priorities using a more systems-based and data-driven approach. This approach was adopted in recognition that preventing and reducing homelessness requires access to safe and adequate housing, a high degree of coordination across funders and community organizations, as well as meaningful collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners.

This e-course was developed to support communities with completing their Reaching Home Community Homelessness Report (CHR).

What is the CHR?

The CHR is an annual Reaching Home reporting deliverable that supports communities to prevent and reduce homelessness using a more coordinated, systems-based and data-driven response. The CHR is designed to support local discussions and decision-making related to priorities, challenges and opportunities using all of the information about homelessness currently available at the community level. Communities are strongly encouraged to use their Reaching Home outcome data, as reported in their CHRs, to develop clear plans of action that help them to reach their homelessness reduction targets and to leverage the collective efforts of service providers working across the community, regardless of how they are funded.

More specifically, through their CHR, communities self-assess their progress with Reaching Home implementation, which includes the following key components:

• Community-level governance and meaningful collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners;
• Coordinated service delivery (Coordinated Access);
• Use of a Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS); and,
• An Outcomes-Based Approach (using real-time, comprehensive person-specific data to track progress against reduction targets for community-level outcomes).

Who is required to complete the CHR?

As identified in the Reaching Home Directives, CHRs are completed by communities receiving funding from the Designated Communities stream in nine provinces and the three territorial capitals funded under the Territorial Homelessness stream.

CHRs are not a minimum requirement related to the Indigenous Homelessness or Rural and Remote Homelessness funding streams. In Québec, communities publish annual reports on the implementation of Coordinated Access and the Outcomes-Based Approach, as per the terms of the Canada-Quebec Agreement regarding Reaching Home 2019-2024.

In communities that have both the Designated Communities and Indigenous Homelessness funding streams, and where there are distinct CEs for each stream, the Designated Communities Community Entity is expected to collaborate with the Indigenous Homelessness Community Entity and Community Advisory Board on the CHR. As a first step, the Designated Communities Community Entity should engage with the Indigenous Homelessness Community Entity and Community Advisory Board at the earliest opportunity to confirm interest in collaborating on the CHR and jointly determine the nature of the collaboration.

What reporting tools are available for the CHR as part of this e-course?

A number of tools are available to support communities with completing the 2023-24 reporting cycle.

Essential tools for all communities

These are the tools that all communities need for completing their CHR:

• The 2023-24 CHR reporting template is used by communities to submit their CHR to the federal government. 
• The 2023-24 CHR Reference Guide and Annex A: 2023-24 CHR Questions provide section-by-section instructions on how to complete, submit and reflect on the CHR. Throughout the document, references are made to tips, definitions and additional tools. The Reference Guide also highlights key changes made this year.
• The Questions and Answers document compiles questions identified by communities over the past reporting cycles. It will be updated to reflect new questions and answers over time.

Training for communities 

Training webinars have been developed to further support communities with completing their CHR.

Optional tools

A number of optional tools have also been developed to support communities with completing specific aspects of their 2023-24 CHR. Guidance on each tool, including its purpose and how it can be used, is be included in each tool itself.

• The Word version of the CHR questions workbook can be used by CEs as a draft version of their CHR.
• Three optional worksheets provide additional guidance on completing specific questions of the CHR:

• • Reflecting on the Changing Response to Homelessness helps communities answer question 1.2, which asks about the impact of changes to the approach to addressing homelessness.
  • Indigenous Partners in Your Community helps communities with answering questions 1.3 to 1.6 on collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners.
  • Understanding Community-Level Data helps communities answer the optional question 3.14, which asks how person-specific data compares to other community-level data sources.
• The Checklist for CEs for Completing the 2023-2024 CHR provides a checklist of activities throughout the CHR lifecycle that can be used by communities to help them prepare for, complete and submit their CHR, as well ideas for using their CHR results throughout the year.
• The Outcome Reporting under Reaching Home: Baselines, Targets and Tracking Progress at the Community Level tipsheet explains the purpose of baselines, setting targets and tracking progress through outcome reporting.
• The Examples of Clear and Complete Responses document provides examples for CEs of clear and complete responses to some of the narrative questions in the CHR.
• Coming soon: A cross-referencing tool describes how the CHR questions, Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness Scorecards and Reaching Home Directives intersect.

Other e-courses to consult

• Community Homelessness Report: HIFIS Report was developed to support communities with completing Section 4 of their CHR using the CHR HIFIS Report.
• Explaining Coordinated Access and the Outcomes-based Approach under Reaching Home webcast provides an overview of these two components of the federal Reaching Home program, with a focus on its minimum requirements
• Reaching Home Community Homelessness Report: Results was developed to highlight results from the Reaching Home Community Homelessness Reports (CHR).