Homeless Veterans
The Royal Canadian Legion is committed to helping Veterans and their families in need find homes. There are national and provincial programs that offer financial assistance and support for homeless Veterans and those at-risk of homelessness.
The Royal Canadian Legion’s action plan to prevent and eradicate veterans’ homelessness
How we can help
Trained Legion Command Service Officers can assist with the following:
Connecting Veterans with organizations: Legion Provincial Commands work closely with Veterans Affairs Canada, shelters and community organizations to get Veterans off the street and into temporary and/or long term accommodations.- Financial assistance: Through the Poppy Fund, housing support is provided through financial assistance for items such as first and last month’s rent, rental arrears and furnishings.
In addition, Legion Branches and Commands across the country support numerous initiatives to help homeless and near homeless Veterans in their communities. From outreach programs, to working with local organizations and first responders to identify and refer Veterans to the Legion, to supporting housing and food banks, Legion members are the 'boots on the ground', helping homeless and near homeless Veterans get the support they need.
Help is available
If you, or a Veteran or family member you know is homeless or at-risk of homelessness, contact the Legion:
Phone: 613-591-3335 or
Toll-free: 1-877-534-4666
veteransservices@legion.ca
Contact a Command Service Officer in your area
The Legion's “Leave the Streets Behind” Program
“Leave the Streets Behind” is the Legion’s national homeless Veterans program that started out of Ontario Command. The program’s mission is to reach out to homeless Veterans and those at-risk of homelessness and provide them with immediate financial assistance and support. It also connects them with the social and community services to establish a long term solution to meet their needs.
While the “Leave the Streets Behind” program is operating in Ontario, British Columbia/Yukon, Alberta/North West Territories, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia/Nunavut and New Brunswick Commands, supports and services through the Legion are available for homeless and near-homeless Veterans and their families across the country.
Operation Leave the Streets Behind brochure
Partnering to support Veterans
The circumstances that can lead to homelessness can involve many issues, from mental illness, to financial challenges, to family circumstances, to failures with the system, and much more. In the Veteran community, homelessness can impact not only the Veteran, but their family as well.
The Legion is actively involved in advocating for supports and solutions for homeless Veterans. It was the Legion who hosted the first homeless Veterans Forum in 2014, bringing together industry experts, government representatives, Veterans organizations and community support services together for the first time. We continue to be fully involved in working to find solutions, coordinating the Legion's Veterans Homelessness Advisory Committee to help develop a coordinated approach across all stakeholders to address the issue.
The Legion works hard to get the word out to Veterans and their families about the help available. Our homeless Veterans program outreaches to shelters, first responders and organizations within communities to spread the word about our services and to coordinate supports for Veterans and their families in need. We also work with organizations such as VETS Canada and Soldiers Helping Soldiers to outreach to Veterans on the street. Once connected with a Veteran in need, we can provide immediate support and get them connected to the long-term supports and services they need.
If you, or a Veteran or family member you know is homeless or at-risk of homelessness, contact a Legion Command Service Officer.