The Homelessness Network in Sudbury is highlighting the success of its veterans homelessness program by sharing the story of one of the veterans it has helped find housing. Drew Beaudin joined the Canadian Armed Forces at the age of 19 and served from 2008-2011. “There’s a lot of highlights, but I’d have to say the biggest one was getting sent to Ottawa as part of the Governor General’s foot guards,” Beaudin said. He left the military when major changes were made to the pension plan. “When I first joined, I would have been able to draw a pension after 20 years of service,” Beaudin said. “About a year (later), they mentioned to us that if we hadn’t already been in for five years, we would be part of the new pension plan. So that way I would not have been able to draw a pension until I was about 65.” Shortly after, he decided to join the millwrights union in Sudbury, but his career change was hampered by the hearing loss he suffered during his military training. Rent suddenly spiked “Unfortunately, I didn’t make it past my probationary period,” Beaudin said. A year ago, he was living in a Sudbury Housing unit when his rent was raised dramatically. “I was on a geared-to-income supplement, so I went from $115 a month up to $1,050,” Beaudin said. “Not being able to hold down a job, I simply wasn’t able to afford my rent.” He was suddenly facing the fact that he would be homeless and had no idea what to do. “I had no plan, basically,” Beaudin said. “I lost both my parents at an early age. I just lost my younger brother, so I didn’t have much family to rely on … I was actually homeless for a while. My one friend, Alan Nielsen, he was very kind to me and let me stay in his camper. No electricity, no water ... Wasn’t the best, but it was certainly better than being out in the cold.” He was there for a few weeks before being connected with the Veterans Homelessness Program. “My uncle is also a veteran and I found out that he was getting assistance because he was homeless as well,” Beaudin said “So I was able to get into a hotel, temporarily.” Taking a coding program He said the rent supplement is allowing him to take a coding program that he hopes to finish this year. In his spare time, he volunteers at the Lockerby branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. “The Legion has been very instrumental in helping me throughout this whole process of being homeless,” Beaudin said. “In fact, they actually purchased a laptop for me for schooling.” Thanks to $552,000 in federal funding announced in September, the homelessness network has been able to find housing for 11 people. “We’re really happy with that so far,” said Ray Landry, Homeless Network coordinator. “We’re really hoping to promote the program so that … people who might not know about their options yet (find out) about what’s here in Sudbury to support, either homeless veterans or persons who are at risk of homelessness because of affordability.” Landry said it has been a successful program, in part because of its tie to the military. “I think the difference really is the openness of landlords or property management companies to support our veterans here in Sudbury and across Canada,” he said. “So we’re really happy with that so far.” The funding runs until 2028. As of April 2025, the federal government estimates that there are more than 2,000 veterans experiencing homelessness across Canada.
