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End Homelessness Winnipeg Newsletter: January 2021

Posted: Filed Under: Community Blog

End Homelessness Winnipeg Newsletter: January 2021
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Updated: Residents Guide and Media Toolkit

End Homelessness Winnipeg has relaunched a Media Toolkit for Reporting on Homelessness and an updated Guide on What to Do if encountering someone experiencing unsheltered homelessness. The Toolkit and Guide were created by Kíkininaw Óma: the Strategy to Support Unsheltered Winnipeggers. This strategy is facilitated by End Homelessness Winnipeg,  with representation from the City of Winnipeg, first responders, outreach workers, homeless-serving agencies and people with lived experience of homelessness. As COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have made unsheltered homelessness more visible in our city, prompting significant news coverage, this relaunch is a timely effort. Download the Guide and Toolkit here. 
 
Winter Weather Resource Guide
The Extreme Weather Response Committee, facilitated by End Homelessness Winnipeg with representation from government agencies, emergency shelters and community organizations, has compiled a list of Winter Weather Resources for the context of COVID-19, covering shelters and safe spaces, drop-ins, meals and washroom access. The Guide has been released as part of the Winter Weather Response Plan for 2020-2021. Download the Guide here.

Coordinated Access Council Call For Members 
Operating toward a shared vision of Coordinated Access and guided by the Reaching Home mandate to implement a Coordinated Access model in the City of Winnipeg, the Coordinated Access Council will be a group of people, representing various sectors and stakeholder groups, who are committed to working in collaboration and cooperation to guide and promote a common vision for the goal to end homelessness in Winnipeg. Applications will be accepted until 5pm on Friday, January 22, 2021. For more information and to download the application form, click here.

Ekosani, Miigwetch, Maarsii, Thank you!

Emergency Response

End Homelessness Winnipeg initiated an Extreme Weather Response Committee in 2016, to coordinate homeless-centred strategies for keeping Winnipeggers safer during hazardous weather conditions. The Committee included representatives from emergency shelters, outreach services, drop-ins, municipal and provincial departments, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. In 2022, the Extreme Weather Response Committee merged with the COVID-19 Response for Winnipeg’s homeless-serving sectors, to form a Homelessness Emergency Response Committee that plans for and addresses emergent issues related to extreme weather, climate change, public health crises, and service disruptions such as building failures, construction and moves, among providers of essential homelessness services including mobile outreach, drop-ins, shelters and safe spaces.

Download the 2024-2025 Winter Weather Response Plan here.

Additional Information

Past Extreme Weather Response Plans

Street Census

Winnipeg Street Census. November 6 – 9, 2024

The Winnipeg Street Census, also known as the Point-in-Time (PiT) Count, provides a 24-hour snapshot of homelessness in the city. It involves surveying unhoused individuals and collecting data from health, corrections, and child and family services (CFS) institutions on discharges into homelessness. Additionally, it incorporates data on shelter and transitional housing stays. This year, 60 communities across Canada will participate in the PiT Count.

Why the PiT Count Matters

The data collected from the PiT Count is vital for understanding the needs of those experiencing homelessness. It helps improve policies and programs intended to prevent and address homelessness in Winnipeg. Consistent methodology over time also enables the tracking of trends in homelessness. Moreover, the PiT Count report serves as a powerful advocacy tool, supporting calls for increased government investment in homelessness prevention and reduction. Many social service organizations reference the report when applying for funding.

Some communities use the PiT Count to update their By-Name-List, which tracks homelessness inflows and outflows. Winnipeg may explore this option in the future.

Methodological Changes for 2024

This year, the PiT Count will take place over four days, from November 6th to 9th, allowing us to reach more individuals. We are increasing our reliance on outreach teams, who have established strong relationships with the unhoused, reducing the need for extensive volunteer training. To better represent under-represented groups, we are hosting two magnet events in collaboration with MANSO, the Welcome Place, and other newcomer-serving agencies to engage more newcomers.

Base Sites and Coordination

The PiT Count will operate from four base sites: Thunderbird House, End Homelessness Winnipeg, The Link, and Mount Carmel Clinic. Volunteers and outreach teams will collect their survey package from these locations. Each site will have a coordinator to assist and guide the teams throughout the Count.

Volunteer Training

To ensure survey consistency, we have organized six in-person training sessions for over 230 volunteers. A few more training sessions are being organized for sector staff, including outreach teams.

Measures to Prevent Multiple Counting

We have implemented strategies to reduce the likelihood of multiple counting, including training surveyors to screen out participants who have been surveyed already and offering extra honoraria to deter individuals from completing multiple surveys. We will also identify and remove duplicate surveys using respondents’ demographic information.

Key Insights from the 2022 PiT Count

The 2022 PiT Count revealed significant findings:

  • Indigenous peoples represented 75% of the unhoused population and were less likely to access shelters due to perceived discrimination.
  • More than half of the participants had prior CFS involvement, with 92.3% identifying as Indigenous.
  • Educational attainment was linked to homelessness, with over half of the participants lacking a high school diploma.
  • Many cited low income as a primary cause of homelessness, despite over half receiving Employment and Income Assistance (EIA), highlighting the inadequacy of EIA support.

These findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to address the root causes of homelessness in Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg Street Census is funded by Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.

For more information, please contact pitcoordinator@endhomelessnesswinnipeg.ca

2022 Street Census Report and Recommendations

EHW_202211_Street Census Infographic_v4Download

The 2022 Winnipeg Street Census took place on Wednesday, May 25, 2022

The Street Census is Winnipeg’s Point-in-Time Count. Point-in-Time Counts gather a one-day snapshot of homelessness in the city, contributing to a national picture. Every few years, communities across the country participate in similar Point-in-Time Counts. Information is gathered during a single, 24-hour period in two main ways:

  1. A brief survey conducted face-to-face along walking routes and in designated locations by volunteers 
  2. Data provided by community organizations and government agencies

The Street Census is more than just a tally of the number of people observed experiencing homelessness on a single day. Street Census survey questions reflect national standards, as well as input from local Lived Experts, researchers, outreach workers, service providers and public service staff. Information gathered includes the number of people experiencing homelessness, where they stayed the night before the survey, and demographic data like age, gender, Indigeneity or newcomer status. No personally identifying information is collected.

Surveys are conducted by hundreds of trained volunteers, deployed in small teams. All volunteers are aged 18 or over and commit to 2.5 hours of training as well as 4 hours on the day of the Street Census. Training covers interviewing and survey recording, cultural safety, personal safety, ethical research, confidentiality and consent. All survey teams include both Lived Experts and service providers, wherever possible. Debriefing is available to all volunteers. In addition to the information gathered by these surveys, some data is provided by agencies and governments for people staying in institutional settings like hospitals or prisons who do not have a permanent address.

Any enumeration of people experiencing homelessness will only provide an estimate. Homelessness is a temporary situation, marked by a high level of mobility between different living situations and environments, for most people who experience it. People who have lost their housing are not a static group that can be found in a single location, neighbourhood or age bracket. Though Street Censuses cannot tell us for certain if homelessness is increasing or decreasing in Winnipeg, the information gathered can indicate trends in population demographics and sheltering choices. These trends can point to service needs, so that community organizations, funders and all levels of government can better work together to prevent and end homelessness.

The first Winnipeg Street Census took place in 2015. The second occurred in 2018. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Street Census was postponed. An Interim Point-in-Time Count was conducted in 2021 and a complete Street Census is planned for May 25, 2022.

The Street Census is funded by Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy

For more information, please contact streetcensus@endhomelessnesswinnipeg.ca

Partners in the 2022 Winnipeg Street Census:

Additional Information

• 2021 Everyone Counts: Coordinated Point-in-Time Counts in Canada (From Employment and Social Development Canada)
• 2021 Everyone Counts – Recommended standards for participation (From Employment and Social Development Canada)
• 2021 Winnipeg Interim Street Census Community Report
o Infographic 1-2021 Winnipeg Interim Street Census
o Infographic 2-2021 Winnipeg Interim Street Census
• 2021 Winnipeg street census offers snapshot of city’s homeless during pandemic (Global)
• 2021 New data sheds light on homelessness in Winnipeg (CTV)
• 2021 Over 1,100 Winnipeggers are homeless, street census finds (Winnipeg Sun)
• 2021 Indigenous overrepresentation in homeless census points to ‘lack of progress’ on housing, organizer says (CBC)
• 2021 Number of youth in homelessness census raises concern (Free Press)
• 2021 1100 homeless people out on one day in Winnipeg, two thirds Indigenous says report (APTN)
• 2021 End Homelessness Winnipeg releases the 2021 Interim Street Census Community Report
• 2018 Winnipeg Street Census Final Report
• 2018 Homeless census highlights need for support for youth in care, Indigenous people, organizer says (CBC)
• 2018 ‘The system is broken:’ Winnipeg Street Census calls for more support for Indigenous people (Times)
• 2018 Formerly homeless pitch-in with Street Census (Winnipeg Sun)
• 2018 Winnipeg Street Census to provide snapshot of homelessness in city (Global News)
• 2018 Street Census in Winnipeg (CityNews)
• 2018 Street Census Giving homeless a voice (Winnipeg Free Press)
• 2018 Street Census tracking trends in homelessness (CTV News)
• 2018 Street census to provide snapshot of homelessness in Winnipeg (CBC News)
• 2015 Winnipeg Street Census Final Report
• 2015 Winnipeg Street Census Personal Video Statements on YouTube

Research & Reports

End Homelessness Winnipeg has led or participated in a variety of research initiatives that can help us to better understand the experiences, needs and demographic characteristics of those experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Winnipeg.

2022 Winnipeg Rental Housing Supply Baseline Scan(.pdf)

A snapshot of rental housing that can be repeated over time, to illustrate how the city’s housing supply is changing

 

2022 Winnipeg’s Pandemic Response(.pdf)

The objective of this report was to look at the manner in which Winnipeg responded to the needs of persons experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. This was accomplished through interviews and review of materials provided. In the broadest context, the global community was ill prepared to address the enormity of the pandemic and its devastating reach and impact. In many ways the pandemic amplified the deep faults in a very unequal system.

 

2022 Sharing the Journey of Coordinated Access in Winnipeg (.pdf)

This report provides an overview of Winnipeg’s journey to a coordinated housing and homelessness system. 

2021 Interim Street Census Community Report (.pdf)

The 2021 Interim Street Census Community Report offers a limited, time-specific glimpse of homelessness in Winnipeg.

2021 Winnipeg Rental Housing Supply Baseline Scan (.pdf)

A snapshot of rental housing that can be repeated over time, to illustrate how the city’s housing supply is changing.

2020 Kíkinanaw Óma – A Strategy to Support Unsheltered Winnipeggers (.pdf)

The Strategy offers context on unsheltered homelessness and encampments in Winnipeg, provides an overview of the work of the Kíkinanaw Óma Strategy group, and makes six key recommendations for supporting individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness or living in encampments.

2020 North End Housing Lab Report (.pdf)

Starting in the Spring of 2019, The Winnipeg Boldness Project and End Homelessness Winnipeg facilitated a North End Housing Lab. The result, outlined in the Lab Report, is four key prototypes that form parts of a wholistic approach to housing in Winnipeg’s North End.

2020 City of Winnipeg Comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment (.pdf)

The primary purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive assessment of current and future housing needs in the City of Winnipeg.

2019 Connecting the Circle: Gender-Based Strategy to End Homelessness in Winnipeg (.pdf)

Connecting the Circle aims to prevent and end homelessness for diverse women, trans, Two-Spirit, and gender non-conforming people in Winnipeg by closing system gaps that create gendered paths into homelessness and/or barriers to exiting homelessness.

2019 Localized Approaches to Ending Homelessness: Indigenizing Housing First (.pdf)

Based in learnings from Winnipeg’s participation in the At Home/Chez Soi project, this report serves as a general guide for implementing and delivering Housing First, particularly in Indigenous community contexts.

2019 24/7 Safe Spaces in Winnipeg (.pdf)

End Homelessness Winnipeg shared its research and recommendations on 24-7 Safe Spaces with the City of Winnipeg to help inform the development of new municipal grants supporting 24-7 Safe Spaces. This report shares why 24-7 Safe Spaces are needed and what criteria are important to consider in setting up new 24-7 Safe Spaces.

2018 Winnipeg Street Health Survey Final Report (.pdf)

Between July and October 2018, 406 individuals took part in the 2018 Winnipeg Street Health Survey.  The Final Report shares findings on the self-reported health status, housing, and social service needs of individuals experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg.

2018 Winnipeg Street Census Final Report (.pdf)

On the night of April 17-18, 2018, over 300 volunteers and staff of agencies working with people experiencing homelessness interviewed people about where they stayed and heard their stories. This second Winnipeg Street Census gave us our best snapshot yet of the population experiencing homelessness, providing governments, researchers, and agencies critical information on how to better meet their needs.

2018 Housing Models and Development Framework (.pdf)

Through research and consultation, End Homelessness Winnipeg’s Housing Models and Development Working Group identified housing development priorities for 2018-2025.

2018 Keeping Winnipeg Affordable: Exploring the Potential for Inclusionary Housing in a Slow-Growth City (.pdf)

This research informs the potential for Inclusionary Housing measures in Winnipeg. Inclusionary housing is a one tool available to cities seeking to increase affordable housing supply.

2017 Winnipeg Private Rental Housing Market Inventory Report (.pdf)

This report aims to help understand trends in the private rental market that occurred in from 2006 – 2016 and how these trends may affect those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

2017 Finding Her Home: A Gender-Based Analysis of the Homelessness Crisis in Winnipeg (.pdf)

This study renews calls to action to deal with the unjust situation of gendered homelessness, so that we may end women’s homelessness in Winnipeg and Manitoba.

2017 Advancing Coordination of the Winnipeg Homeless Sector (.pdf)

This report was designed to identify service gaps and coordination opportunities that can be utilized by the Community Advisory Board (CAB) and Community Entity (CE) in their roles under the former Homelessness Partnering Strategy, the federal precursor to Reaching Home.

2017 The Definition of Indigenous Homelessness in Canada (.pdf)

Unlike the common colonialist definition of homelessness, Indigenous homelessness is not defined as lacking a structure of habitation; rather, it is more fully described and understood through a composite lens of Indigenous worldviews.

2016 Here and Now: the Winnipeg Plan to End Youth Homelessness (.pdf)

Here and Now was developed to guide policy, funding, program development, and collective action priorities, grounded in the principles of reconciliation, towards a city where all youth have a safe place to live and thrive.

2015 Winnipeg Street Census Final Report (.pdf)

The 2015 Winnipeg Street Census was conducted in Winnipeg on October 25/26th, 2015. Almost 300 volunteers met with a huge variety of people living in emergency shelters, temporarily with friends and relatives, under bridges and at other temporary spaces. The report includes a set of principles for addressing homelessness and recommendations for immediate actions to end it.