Winnipeg mayor troubled by outreach workers' role in setting up homeless camp
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham reacted forcefully Friday to residents' concerns about Main Street Project's role in setting up a homeless encampment this week.
Gillingham, who was among the recipients of a letter from the Point Douglas Residents Committee detailing the incident involving the non-profit social-services agency, said he opposes any agency involvement in supporting encampments in the city.
'I don't want to see people in tents. I don't want to see people living along the riverbank. I don't want to see people living in parks. I don't want agencies in any way helping people to do that,' he said.
'I want to get everybody moved out of there, into housing, with wraparound supports. Right now, we don't have enough housing. We're working on that.'
While stopping short of commenting on behalf of the province, Gillingham said he doesn't believe assisting in encampment setups aligns with the spirit of the NDP government's $20-million Your Way Home strategy to combat chronic homelessness, which Premier Wab Kinew announced in January.
'We do a disservice to the people who are struggling unsheltered if we allow that to happen,' he said.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
'I don't want to see people in tents. I don't want to see people living along the riverbank. I don't want to see people living in parks. I don't want agencies in any way helping people to do that,' Mayor Scott Gillingham said.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
'I don't want to see people in tents. I don't want to see people living along the riverbank. I don't want to see people living in parks. I don't want agencies in any way helping people to do that,' Mayor Scott Gillingham said.
In a statement issued late Friday, Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said the province's strategy is clear.
'We expect community partners to transition people out of tents into safe, stable homes,' she said. 'We've been in contact with Main Street Project to ensure that all outreach efforts serve to move people into homes.'
The Point Douglas group's letter, addressed to MSP, was also sent to Kinew, Progressive Conservative MLA Carrie Hiebert — the Opposition critic for housing, addictions and homelessness — the United Way, the Winnipeg Foundation and End Homelessness Winnipeg.
It described the incident, witnessed by at least one resident, in which a Main Street Project van dropped off individuals with a tent, tarp, suitcases and other supplies, and then helped drag the equipment to the riverbank, where they helped to set up a camp where a previous one had recently been cleaned up.
Main Street Project has repeatedly refused Free Press requests for comment.
End Homelessness Winnipeg is an Indigenous-led organization responsible for distributing federal funds allotted locally from the national Reaching Home strategy.
An EHW community advisory board takes calls for proposals based on Reaching Home directives and community priorities.
EHW directed $726,000 to Main Street Project in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, according to that agency's latest financial report. Nearly all of it — $713,541 — went to the mobile outreach van's operations.
EHW president and CEO Jason Whitford said Friday the workers' decision to assist in the camp setup was driven by safety concerns and a need to maintain trust with vulnerable community members.
'People are in survival mode, and we have to be sensitive of that,' he said. 'Outreach resources have the important job of building trust and building relationships… and getting people supported.'
Later Friday, EHW issued a statement saying that while the Main Street Project has reaffirmed it does not support encampment setups and operates within a human rights-based framework, the incident has raised valid concerns about optics, public trust and community engagement.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
'Outreach resources have the important job of building trust and building relationships… and getting people supported,' said Jason Whitford, president and CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg,
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
'Outreach resources have the important job of building trust and building relationships… and getting people supported,' said Jason Whitford, president and CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg,
'We hear the Point Douglas residents clearly,' Whitford said. 'No one wants encampments. But when no safe shelter is available, outreach workers face ethically complex choices. This is not a failure of compassion, but a failure of systems — and that must urgently change.'
Whitford declined to comment on the specifics of Tuesday's incident but confirmed he had discussed the matter with MSP executive director Jamil Mahmood.
'We can't speculate that they were in a shelter and moved to an encampment,' Whitford said. 'They could have been in a location where they might have needed to be relocated, there might have been some personal issues that might have arisen there.'
He said relocation should be the last resort.
The vast majority of MSP's funding comes from taxpayer dollars, including more than a third of its $11.4 million in total grant money — $3.65 million — from Manitoba's Families Department.
Combined, the province, via several departments, directed more than $7.5 million to the agency last year. The city contributed nearly $400,000, and the Winnipeg Police Service added $772,000 for MSP's Intoxicated Persons Detention Area.
'I have not heard of a situation of (MSP) misusing our funds,' Whitford said. 'They've used the funds as intended.'
To address the issues raised in the Point Douglas Residents Committee's letter, EHW said it will convene a 'sector meeting' with MSP, provincial officials, Indigenous housing partners and Point Douglas residents representatives to review protocols and improve co-ordination.
It also plans to support better communication with residents.
'It is unacceptable that in a city as resourceful as Winnipeg, the only option some people have is a tent by the river,' he said. 'This must be a call to action — for more supportive housing, clearer protocols and a shared commitment to dignity, safety and accountability.'
Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, the premier's senior adviser on ending chronic homelessness, was not made available for an interview by the province Friday.
Whitecloud, the former CEO of Siloam Mission, is leading the co-ordination of the province's Your Way Home strategy, a two-year plan to relocate people living in outdoor encampments — one site at a time — and move them into appropriate housing with needed supports.
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
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City grants:
• City of Winnipeg – $394,067
• WPS – $772,001
Provincial grants:
• Winnipeg Regional Health Authority – $2,452,569
• Department of Families – $3,555,527 (up about $600,000 from the year before)
• Manitoba Health and Community Wellness – $396,000
• Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living – $919,001
• Manitoba Department of Housing Operating subsidy – $199,412
• Province of Manitoba – $10,000
Community agency grants:
• End Homelessness Winnipeg – $726,000
• United Way – $220,074
Scott BilleckReporter
Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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