January 30, 2026
WINNIPEG, MB — End Homelessness Winnipeg welcomes the City of Winnipeg’s newly announced pilot initiative to expand affordable housing through partnerships with social enterprises and community developers. The initiative reflects a practical shift toward unlocking underused assets to address the city’s worsening housing shortage.
This development follows End Homelessness Winnipeg’s January 15, 2026 public statement calling on governments to act decisively on derelict and vacant buildings as part of Winnipeg’s housing and homelessness response. In that statement, End Homelessness Winnipeg warned that continued reliance on enforcement and crisis response leaves Winnipeg trapped in a cycle of danger and loss, where derelict and abandoned buildings repeatedly become sites of preventable fires, displacement, and risk, and called on authorities to shift toward conversion, rehabilitation, and reintegration of these properties into the housing system as a matter of public safety and housing stability.
Jennifer Moore Rattray, Chief Executive Officer of End Homelessness Winnipeg, said,
“We commend the City for advancing a model that brings social enterprises and community partners into housing development. What matters now is speed. These units must move quickly from concept to construction to occupancy. The current conditions are too fragile for slow timelines and delayed delivery,” she continued, “Every derelict building that remains untouched is a missed chance to stabilize someone’s life. Governments must align planning approvals, financing, remediation, and development processes so these properties can be brought into use faster and at scale. Housing is the foundation of safety, health, and dignity. Without it, every other response remains temporary.”
While a number of affordable units have been approved by the City of Winnipeg, an important first step, End Homelessness Winnipeg continues to see the greatest need in transitional and supportive housing for people experiencing or exiting homelessness. The 2024 Winnipeg Street Census recorded 2,469 people experiencing homelessness, up from 1,256 in 2022, representing an increase of approximately 96 percent in just two years.
At the same time, the loss of existing low-cost housing through closures, fires, and buildings being taken offline continues to reduce the options available to people with the fewest choices. Together, these conditions highlight the need for steady delivery, clear pathways into stable housing, and sustained investment in rent-geared-to-income housing models combined with the supports people need to rebuild stability and maintain housing over time.
End Homelessness Winnipeg is calling on all orders of government to treat derelict and abandoned buildings as immediate housing assets rather than long-term redevelopment projects, supported by fast-tracked regulatory approvals and timely remediation funding. In the face of ongoing housing pressure, End Homelessness Winnipeg emphasizes that the conversion of vacant and derelict buildings remains one of the most direct and practical pathways to increasing housing supply and expanding access to safe, stable housing for people in need.
End Homelessness Winnipeg remains committed to working with municipal, provincial, and federal partners, non-profit organizations, social enterprises, the private sector, direct service staff, and community stakeholders to ensure that unused spaces are transformed into permanent homes that restore stability, dignity, and safety.
About End Homelessness Winnipeg
End Homelessness Winnipeg coordinates systems, policies, and investments to prevent and end homelessness in Winnipeg and works to create a world where everyone has a home and the supports they need to belong.
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Media Contact
Oraye St. Franklyn
Manager Communications & Community Relations
End Homelessness Winnipeg
Phone: 431-323-8896