Liberals Ignore Growing Homelessness Crisis, Fails on Shelter Standards

NL NDP
Jul 22
2 min read

For Immediate Release

July 22, 2025

NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) says the provincial government is ignoring the growing crisis of homelessness by not implementing the shelter standards they announced one year ago today.

In 2022, the Minister for Housing claimed that shelter standards were already in place, but despite repeated requests, the NDP was never able to obtain a copy. It wasn’t until 2024 that the government finally released the province’s first shelter standards. Now, Dinn is calling on the government to come clean about whether or not those standards were ever implemented.

“When OrgCode’s shelter standards were finally released by government last summer, the Minister gave a brief overview of what was in the standards, but put no plans in place to implement them,” said Dinn. “From what I am hearing from those both working and living in the shelter system, these standards are not being implemented.

“The standards offered hope. They outlined basic necessities like proper staff-to-guest ratios, access to hygiene products, nutritious food with posted meal plans, and more,” said Dinn. “But where are those resources? Has staff been hired to help meet these standards? Where’s the training in trauma-informed care and harm reduction? How is this being monitored? These are the questions the Minister must answer.”

Dinn is also calling on government to take real action to address the worsening conditions faced by some of the province’s most vulnerable by investing in public housing options.

“If this government truly cared about getting people housed, they’d be investing in non-market, public housing,” said Dinn. “The evidence is clear. It’s one of the most effective ways to ensure vulnerable people have a safe, stable place to live. This is going to be one of the hottest summers on record and homeless people forced to leave shelters in the daytime and have to take refuge where they can with no access to clean drinking water and food.

“Instead, they keep pushing the myth that the private market will solve the crisis showing just how out of touch they are. With no plan for rent control and no investment in real solutions, this Liberal government is letting the housing and homelessness crisis spiral.”

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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca