End Homelessness Winnipeg welcomes the new private investments in the Collaborative Housing Alliance Real Estate Investment Trust (CHAR). True North Sports & Entertainment has invested five million dollars, and the Mahon Family Foundation has contributed two million dollars. Along with the Province of Manitoba’s $10m seed investment through the Business Council of Manitoba, this partnership signals a shared commitment to expanding affordable housing and improving lives across our province.
The 2024 Winnipeg Street Census confirmed what our community already knows. Indigenous peoples remain vastly overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness, accounting for more than 80% of everyone without stable housing in our city. Addressing this reality requires solutions that are rooted in truth and partnership. CHAR’s model offers a pathway that welcomes private investors to join in building homes that honour the right to shelter and belonging for all.
The CHAR initiative was designed to attract private capital toward housing that delivers both social and financial returns. It recognizes that housing is essential infrastructure for community wellbeing. By drawing on private expertise and investment, CHAR helps close the gaps that public funding alone cannot bridge.
These contributions arrive at a critical moment. Housing insecurity is deepening across Canada, and the cost of inaction continues to fall hardest on Indigenous families, single parents, youth, and older adults. End Homelessness Winnipeg looks forward to working alongside CHAR and its partners to ensure that new investments support culturally grounded housing, prioritize those most in need, and move us closer to a city where everyone belongs.
The decision by True North Sports & Entertainment and the Mahon Family Foundation to invest where profit is not guaranteed reflects courage and care for community. Their leadership shows what is possible when prosperity is shared and commitment is collective. We encourage other private and philanthropic partners to take up this challenge and stand with us in building homes, restoring dignity, and advancing reconciliation through action.
Jackie Hunt
Senior Director, Strategy and Impact at End Homelessness Winnipeg.