End Homelessness Winnipeg receives $27.3M in additional federal funding
A community advisory board at End Homelessness will decide how the funding will be spent, CEO Jason Whitford said at a news conference on Tuesday.
The money will likely go toward strengthening housing first programs, extending hours at shelters, and homelessness preventative measures for children aging out of care and people exiting the justice system, he said.
"Housing is more than just a roof over someone's head. It is about belonging, safety, healing and helping that individual fulfil their purpose," Whitford said.
The funds come through the national homelessness strategy's designated communities and Indigenous homelessness streams, which provide funding to 64 urban areas, three territorial capitals, 30 Indigenous communities and rural and remote communities across Canada.
Tuesday's announcement brings the total for Winnipeg through these streams to $174.7 million from 2019-20 to 2027-28.
Whitford said more than 75 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg are Indigenous, although Indigenous people only make up 14 per cent of Winnipeg's total population.
"Addressing this disparity requires solutions that are Indigenous-led, culturally grounded and driven by the voices of those most affected to create lasting change," he said.
End Homelessness Winnipeg, which works to address systemic barriers contributing to homelessness in the city, completed a point-in-time street census count in November last year that will be released in mid-April, Whitford said.
The preliminary results from the survey suggest there has been an influx of people exiting the justice system and child-welfare system who are released into shelters because they have nowhere else to go, he said.
Investing in appropriate and innovative housing support reduces homelessness, restores dignity, strengthens community and promotes reconciliation, he said.
"Eliminating chronic homelessness takes a co-ordinated effort," Winnipeg South Centre MP Ben Carr said at the news conference.
Living without adequate housing prevents people from improving their lives, Carr said, and intergenerational trauma, mental health struggles, addictions and other socio-economic barriers contribute to chronic homelessness.
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THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The 88-year-old former politician retired from council three years ago, and few can match his knowledge of the controversies surrounding Richmond's farmland — the creation of the province's agricultural land reserve, influxes of foreign-money investors, a spate of mega-mansion construction and now the Cowichan Nation's Indigenous title claim. 'It's just one battle after another for 50 years,' laughed Steves, who still runs the family farm in Steveston, raising belted Galloway beef cattle. 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