The way forward? Transitional housing, Cassels said. People in emergency housing were signed on to short-term contracts by the Ministry of Social Development, known as Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants, one week at a time. Transitional housing, however, was contracted for an average of around 12 weeks, and typically included some wraparound supports, depending on the provider. “I don’t think the emergency housing system was ever contemplated, or designed, to deal with such a dramatic increase in the number of people who needed to use it. “I believe that inevitably there’ll be a series of imperfect steps before we find a solution. That solution is obviously, slowly but surely, moving from emergency housing to transitional housing.”