Oraye St. Franklyn

The Government of Canada takes another step to reduce homelessness in Winnipeg

Winnipeg, Manitoba, March 11, 2025 — The federal government is allocating an additional  $27.3 million in funding to End Homelessness Winnipeg through the Designated Communities stream and the Indigenous Homelessness stream of Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy. This brings the total allocation for Winnipeg from 2019-20 through 2027-28 to $174.7 million through these streams. This funding is helping service providers in Winnipeg prevent and reduce homelessness.

The announcement was made today by MP Ben Carr and Jason Whitford, CEO at End Homelessness Winnipeg.

As the Reaching Home Community Entity in Winnipeg, End Homelessness Winnipeg works closely with stakeholders and community members on the front lines seeking to end homelessness in the region. This much needed funding will be invested in services and supports that work with some of the most vulnerable in our community to find suitable housing, and end the systemic challenges that contribute to chronic homelessness.

Through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, the federal government is committed to preventing and reducing homelessness across the country in urban, Indigenous, rural, and remote communities.

Everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home, but far too many Canadians face the daily unacceptable reality of homelessness. The Government of Canada and its partners recognize the collective responsibility to develop and deliver community plans with clear outcomes that address local priorities designed to meet the needs of specific populations.

Quotes

“Everyone deserves a place to call home. This is why we are determined to build a Canada where homelessness is no longer an issue. Today’s announcement reaffirms our commitment to working collaboratively with community organizations such as End Homelessness Winnipeg Inc. to support those in need.”

Ben Carr, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre

“The Government of Canada’s commitment to ending homelessness is crucial in addressing the systemic inequities that have led to Indigenous people—who make up 14% of Winnipeg’s population—representing 75% of those experiencing homelessness. This funding strengthens our collaboration with Indigenous-led organizations and direct service providers to expand housing and support for all people experiencing homelessness, ensuring everyone has the opportunity for stability and a better future.”

Jason Whitford, CEO at End Homelessness Winnipeg

Quick facts

• Reaching Home: was launched in April 2019 and supports the goals of the government’s National Housing Strategy, as well as Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada’s Housing Plan. Those goals include: supporting the needs of the most vulnerable people in Canada; improving access to safe, stable and affordable housing, and reducing chronic homelessness.
• Reaching Home is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. This program provides funding and support to urban, Indigenous, territorial, rural, and remote communities to help them address their local homelessness needs.
• Funding under this program is allocated to 64 Designated Communities (urban centres), three territorial capitals, 30 Indigenous communities, and rural and remote communities across Canada. The program also makes funding available to Indigenous partners to support distinctions-based approaches to homelessness services.
• Today’s funding brings the total nine-year allocation to communities in Manitoba to $231.5 million from 2019-20 through 2027-28, through the regionally delivered streams of Reaching Home.
• Through Reaching Home, the federal government is already investing $5 billion over 9 years to address homelessness.
• Through Budget 2024, the federal government is also investing $250 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to address the urgent issue of encampments and unsheltered homelessness. This federal support is helping communities open more shelter spaces, transitional homes and services to help people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and living in encampments find more stable housing solutions to support.

Associated Links

Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada’s Housing Plan

Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy

Canada’s National Housing Strategy

Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada – Funding Delivered under the Investing in Canada Plan

The Canada-Manitoba Housing Benefit (CMHB), which relies almost exclusively on federal funding under the National Housing Strategy, is fully subscribed. Due to the exhaustion of federal funds, application intake is now closed.

All provincial rent supplements, including provincial Rent Assist, remain unaffected and continue to support new applicants.

CMHB applications received that have not been approved before March 3, 2025 (end of business day) will not be processed.

Manitobans who are currently receiving the CMHB or are renewing their applications will continue to receive the benefit and will not be affected. The Survivors of Gender-Based Violence Stream will also continue as it is funded under a separate federal agreement.

For more information please see CMHB announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2025

Winnipeg, MB – End Homelessness Winnipeg (EHW) commends the City of Winnipeg’s Housing Accelerator Fund Capital Grant  Incentive Program for its substantial investment in tackling the city’s housing crisis. The program’s $50 million investment, which distributes money from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund, is set to create 2,553 new housing units, with 1,230 designated as affordable housing—a crucial step toward addressing homelessness and housing instability.

Winnipeg faces a growing housing crisis. According to the 2023 Community Housing Needs Assessment for Manitoba 34,425 households are in core housing need, with nearly a quarter of renters struggling with affordability. The 2022 Winnipeg Street Census report found that over 1,200 people experience homelessness every night in Winnipeg. The direct investment by the City of Winnipeg toward affordable housing, particularly in the downtown core, bolsters the housing continuum and provides crucial support to individuals and families at risk.

“The City of Winnipeg’s Housing Accelerator Fund is an important step in addressing our housing crisis because it increases the supply of affordable homes. This investment will help support individuals and families at risk of homelessness,” said Jason Whitford, CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg.

While the investment is a critical step forward, Whitford emphasized that more work is needed to ensure housing accessibility and affordability for all. “There’s still a lot of work to do to close the gaps and make housing more accessible and affordable. We will keep working and engaging with the City. We will keep engaging with the Province, the business community, and our sector and Indigenous partners to ensure these investments continue to create lasting housing solutions for the people who need them most.”

In addition to expanding the supply of affordable housing, a long-term commitment to policy improvements, increased funding, reviewed rental subsidies, and wraparound support services is essential to creating meaningful change for individuals and families in need of housing stability. End Homelessness Winnipeg will continue to advocate for collaborative solutions that address both immediate housing needs and the root causes of homelessness, ensuring that more people can access and maintain safe, stable housing.

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For more information, please contact:
 
Oraye St. Franklyn,
Manager, Communications and Community Relations,
End Homelessness Winnipeg
Cell: 431-323-8896
ofranklyn@endhomelessnesswinnipeg.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2025

End Homelessness Winnipeg Responds To Polar Bear Remark

Being Indigenous-led, End Homelessness Winnipeg believes that life is a precious gift, one that we are thankful for everyday. We also recognize that as humans we are all equal, and it is our shared responsibility to be thoughtful and compassionate toward the realities of others.

The recent remarks trivializing homelessness and suggesting life-threatening consequences as a deterrent are hurtful, and deeply damaging. Such statements perpetuate harmful stereotypes, diminish the struggles of those experiencing homelessness, and ignore the complex, systemic issues that lead people into housing insecurity.

Homelessness is not the result of a “bad lifestyle”—it is caused by poverty, lack of affordable housing, mental health challenges, trauma, and systemic inequities among others. Indigenous communities, in particular, continue to face the impacts of colonialism, including housing discrimination and intergenerational trauma. These issues require solutions, not ridicule.

“The First Nations teaching of humility, represented by the wolf, reminds us to approach life with respect, listen with open hearts, and acknowledge that we are all interconnected. These teachings are universal, transcending cultures and faiths, calling on us to uplift others rather than bring them down,” said Jason Whitford, CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg.

Instead of making harmful jokes, we need to prioritize real solutions. Increase investments in affordable housing, mental health support, and culturally appropriate solutions that address homelessness with dignity and respect.

Homelessness is a crisis, not a punchline. We urge all leaders and community members to speak with compassion, act with purpose, and work toward a future where everyone has a safe place to call home, as of right and not privilege.

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For more information, please contact:
 
Oraye St. Franklyn,
Manager, Communications and Community Relations,
End Homelessness Winnipeg
Cell: 431-323-8896
ofranklyn@endhomelessnesswinnipeg.ca