The Designated Communities stream provides long-term stable funding to 58 urban communities outside the territories that face significant issues with homelessness. Organizations within a Designated Community can apply for Reaching Home funding through their Community Entity to support the priorities identified in their community’s homelessness plan.

A process to expand the program’s reach to 4 to 6 new Designated Communities through an open and transparent application process is underway. The final selection of new communities is expected by fall 2019.

As part of Reaching Home, Designated Communities will adopt an outcomes-based approach to addressing homelessness. Through the removal of all Housing First investment targets on April 1, 2019, communities have more flexibility in how they invest their funding to achieve community-wide outcomes.

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The Designated Communities will implement the outcomes-based approach in 2 steps:

1. develop a community plan in collaboration with stakeholders and the Community Advisory Board. This will help identify local outcomes, beyond the mandatory outcomes required by the Government of Canada.

2. report on the community-level outcomes achieved through an annual community progress report.

Communities are required to leverage $1 from other partners for every dollar of Designated Communities stream funding to meet the cost-matching requirement of Reaching Home.

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Eligible projects

Eligible projects must respond to the priorities in the community plan to ensure they contribute to achieving the community-wide outcomes set by the Government of Canada and the community.

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Selection of projects

The Community Advisory Board reviews project proposals from organizations to ensure they meet the program requirements of Reaching Home and respond to the priorities established in the community plan.