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Winnipeg Free Press
29-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Your Way Home has moved 40 people from encampments into housing: Kinew
More than three dozen former occupants of outdoor encampments have been successfully moved into housing since a plan to end chronic homelessness was launched in January, Premier Wab Kinew said Wednesday. Kinew, answering a question in the legislature directed to Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith, said 40 people have been relocated so far. Progressive Conservative MLA Kathleen Cook had suggested the number was just 33, and wanted to know how many encampments that had been cleared are now being re-occupied. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Premier Wab Kinew said 40 people have so far been moved into housing and out of homeless encampments. Kinew said 37 of the 40 were moved into housing by Main Street Project. Last week, the Point Douglas Residents' Committee wrote a letter to the non-profit organization looking for answers after one of its vans and staff were recorded delivering tents and suitcases to a previously cleared riverbank site. The province's Your Way Home strategy calls for housing people with needed supports, clearing encampment sites and then ensuring that they're not reoccupied. On Monday, Smith said she has directed service providers to help people move out of encampments, not into them. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. At an unrelated press conference Wednesday morning, the premier was asked if he had an explanation or understanding of why Main Street Project was delivering tents and suitcases to an encampment. 'Yeah, I do. And I think we'll have more to share,' he said.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
New homeless camps off the table, Manitoba government tells Main Street Project
The province has put Main Street Project on notice after agency workers were captured on video helping set up a homeless encampment in Point Douglas last week where one had recently been cleared. Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith has directed MSP — one of the key players in the province's Your Way Home strategy to end homelessness — and other service delivery organizations not to move people into encampments. 'I have talked to them about this situation,' Smith said in an interview with the Free Press Monday. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Minister of housing, addictions and homelessness Bernadette Smith has directed the Main Street Project and other service delivery organizations not to move people into encampments. 'Going forward, it's from encampment to housing. The Your Way Home strategy outlines that pretty clearly,' she said. The stated goal of Your Way Home, the two-year $20-million initiative announced by Premier Wab Kinew in January is moving people living outside into appropriate housing with needed supports, one camp at a time. The sites are to be cleaned up afterward, with city crews monitoring to ensure they're not reoccupied. 'If there are situations where we don't have housing available and there is an unsafe condition and there's unique circumstances, then they are to get in touch with us and we will deal with those, case by case,' Smith said. 'All of the service delivery organizations have known that that is the strategy and, moving forward, that is what everyone needs to follow.' A Point Douglas resident captured video last Tuesday of a Main Street Project outreach van dropping off two individuals, along with a tent, tarp, suitcases and other supplies. Two agency workers helped drag the equipment down to the riverbank and assisted in setting up the shelter. The resident, Howard Warren, informed the Point Douglas Residents Committee, which composed a letter raising several neighbourhood concerns that was sent to MSP and copied to Kinew, Mayor Scott Gillingham, the Progressive Conservative housing critic, End Homelessness Winnipeg, the United Way and the Winnipeg Foundation. Smith said both individuals in the encampment were moved into housing over the weekend. 'We are all on the same page that we need to get people into housing.'–Minister Bernadette Smith MSP — a non-profit health organization largely funded with public money via various government programs and grants — has declined repeated Free Press requests for comment since the letter was revealed last Thursday; a promised statement Monday afternoon did not materialize. Smith said she spoke to Gillingham Monday, and that he is 'on board' with her directive to MSP executives. 'We are all on the same page that we need to get people into housing,' she said. 'If housing isn't available, and there are unique circumstances, we will deal with them as they arise.' Earlier in the day at an unrelated event, Gillingham mentioned that End Homelessness Winnipeg — an Indigenous housing advocate organization responsible for distributing federal program funds — plans to convene a meeting of representatives from homelessness agencies, the province and city to discuss the Point Douglas Residents Committee's concerns. The matter was raised during question period in the Manitoba legislature Monday by Morden-Winkler MLA Carrie Hiebert, the Tories' housing, addictions and homelessness critic, who wanted to know whether Smith could ensure no taxpayer dollars would be used to help set up new encampments. Smith said rather than address the growing number of homeless people, the former PC government sold off social housing units, making matters worse. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. 'I've talked to some of those folks that are in encampments that were living in those units that are now getting wraparound supports,' she said afterward. 'They're on a path to whatever it is that they want to succeed at in their life, whether it's reunification with their families or getting into a program so they can build their skills and get into the workforce or stable housing.' SCOTT BILLECK / FREE PRESS 'These are Manitobans that deserve to live in dignified housing. Manitobans were pretty clear they didn't want to see folks living in encampments, bus shelters, under bridges. The previous government left people in those situations. 'We're going to continue to support and get housing online and get people out of encampments with the supports they need.' — With files from Joyanne Pursaga Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
26-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
New homelessness camps off the table, province tells Main Street Project
The province has put Main Street Project on notice after agency workers were captured on video helping set up a homeless encampment in Point Douglas last week where one had recently been cleared. Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith has directed MSP — one of the key players in the province's Your Way Home strategy to end homelessness — and other service delivery organizations not to move people into encampments. 'I have talked to them about this situation,' Smith said in an interview with the Free Press Monday. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Minister of housing, addictions and homelessness Bernadette Smith has directed the Main Street Project and other service delivery organizations not to move people into encampments. 'Going forward, it's from encampment to housing. The Your Way Home strategy outlines that pretty clearly,' she said. The stated goal of Your Way Home, the two-year $20-million initiative announced by Premier Wab Kinew in January is moving people living outside into appropriate housing with needed supports, one camp at a time. The sites are to be cleaned up afterward, with city crews monitoring to ensure they're not reoccupied. 'If there are situations where we don't have housing available and there is an unsafe condition and there's unique circumstances, then they are to get in touch with us and we will deal with those, case by case,' Smith said. 'All of the service delivery organizations have known that that is the strategy and, moving forward, that is what everyone needs to follow.' A Point Douglas resident captured video last Tuesday of a Main Street Project outreach van dropping off an individual, along with a tent, tarp, suitcases and other supplies. Two agency workers helped drag the equipment down to the riverbank and assisted in setting up the shelter. The resident, Howard Warren, informed the Point Douglas Residents Committee, which composed a letter raising several neighbourhood concerns that was sent to MSP and copied to Kinew, Mayor Scott Gillingham, the Progressive Conservative housing critic, End Homelessness Winnipeg, the United Way and the Winnipeg Foundation. MSP — a non-profit health organization largely funded with public money via various government programs and grants — has declined repeated Free Press requests for comment since the letter was revealed last Thursday; a promised statement Monday afternoon did not materialize. 'We are all on the same page that we need to get people into housing.'–Minister Bernadette Smith Smith said she spoke to Gillingham Monday, and that he is 'on board' with her directive to MSP executives. 'We are all on the same page that we need to get people into housing,' she said. 'If housing isn't available, and there are unique circumstances, we will deal with them as they arise.' Earlier in the day at an unrelated event, Gillingham mentioned that End Homelessness Winnipeg — an Indigenous housing advocate organization responsible for distributing federal program funds — plans to convene a meeting of representatives from homelessness agencies, the province and city to discuss the Point Douglas Residents Committee's concerns. The matter was raised during question period in the Manitoba legislature Monday by Morden-Winkler MLA Carrie Hiebert, the Tories' housing, addictions and homelessness critic, who wanted to know whether Smith could ensure no taxpayer dollars would be used to help set up new encampments. Smith said rather than address the growing number of homeless people, the former PC government sold off social housing units, making matters worse. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. 'I've talked to some of those folks that are in encampments that were living in those units that are now getting wraparound supports,' she said afterward. 'They're on a path to whatever it is that they want to succeed at in their life, whether it's reunification with their families or getting into a program so they can build their skills and get into the workforce or stable housing.' 'These are Manitobans that deserve to live in dignified housing. Manitobans were pretty clear they didn't want to see folks living in encampments, bus shelters, under bridges. The previous government left people in those situations. SCOTT BILLECK / FREE PRESS 'We're going to continue to support and get housing online and get people out of encampments with the supports they need.' — With files from Joyanne Pursaga Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
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. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. 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.
CBC
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Winnipeg mayor wants next mobile outreach contractors 'fully committed' to strategy to end homelessness
Organizations that receive the city's next contract to provide mobile outreach services to people living in encampments should be fully committed to the provincial government's strategy to end homelessness, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham says. Teams of outreach workers funded by the city provide services to people living in encampments 24 hours a day. The city's current contract expires at the end of June. A request for proposals posted on the city's website on Thursday includes a requirement that proposals align with the province's Your Way Home strategy. "We're going to provide funding only to those organizations who are fully committed to and complying with the Your Way Home strategy," Gillingham told reporters on Friday. Under the Manitoba government's Your Way Home strategy, the province has begun purchasing housing units, while the city funds outreach groups to connect people living on the streets with supports. Disagreements over how to get people out of camps and into housing have emerged in the past, with some groups focusing on housing first, while others work to support people wherever they are. This week, residents in Point Douglas accused Main Street Project, a long-standing Winnipeg outreach agency, of helping to set up a homeless camp in Point Douglas. A letter outlining details of the incident was copied to Gillingham's office. In a copy of a response letter sent to CBC News, MSP executive director Jamil Mahmood said it is working with the province to get people out of encampments, but that work is "complex and nuanced," in part due to a shortage of housing. "There may be different philosophies, you know, when it comes to homelessness," Gillingham said. "We want to make sure that we are funding those agencies that are working in full alliance with and partnership with the Province Manitoba strategy, and our strategy as well." Since 2022, the city has contracted with MSP, St. Boniface Street Links and Resource Assistance for Youth to provide mobile outreach services. Outreach worker 'disheartened' The executive director of St. Boniface Street Links says they've cleared away 26 encampments this year, many of them from places along the east bank of the Red River. Marion Willis says she supports the province's strategy, but she's not sure whether they'll apply for the city's funding. She says the plan lacks an adequate housing supply, and funding for supports. "I'm a little disheartened, I'm not going to lie," Willis said. "None of us really understand the You Way Home plan. You know, if I'm to take that RFP (request for proposal) from the city and I'm to align that with the provincial strategy to end homelessness, I'm not sure what that is." Earlier this month, the province said it had rehoused 33 people out of tents and into housing since February. Willis said the progress has been slow. "I kind of feel like the province in the city are both kind of walking back on the commitment to proactively get people out of encampments," she said. Chris Brens, the city's manager of community development, says the province plans to do a significant amount of work over the next seven years to reduce homelessness. Part of that work, in the initial year, is to create new housing spaces. "The outreach service provider support that the city is going to be funding would – if those housing units are available – be a key component of meeting with folks who may be living in encampments, and supporting them into accessing that housing, if appropriate," Brens said in an interview. The city's contract would last until 2027 and is budgeted for $1.65 million, with $275,000 going to pay the city's existing contractors until the end of June.
