Overcoming homelessness takes community
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Homelessness and encampments have been a major area of concern for Elmwood-East Kildonan, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
With spring starting to warm up, we’re already starting to see the usual seasonal uptick in encampments, as milder weather changes the incentives for many who are choosing between two terrible options – sometimes-unsafe shelter living or sometimes-unsafe outdoor living.
When taking action to address homelessness, it’s important to ensure we are treating the root causes, and not just the symptoms. Dismantling encampments without meeting the needs of the people being displaced simply shifts them to another area in an endless cycle.
Over the past several weeks, I’ve spent time visiting and learning about both Main Street Project and St. Boniface Street Links, two of the major organizations doing outreach and homelessness reduction work in our city. While their approaches differ slightly, both are working on supporting people to transition out of encampments and into accessible and dignified housing.
We are fortunate to have so many hard-working, dedicated and compassionate outreach workers in these and other non-profit organizations throughout the city, helping our most vulnerable neighbours.
Their work has shown that homelessness is not just a housing issue. Its causes, and therefore its solutions, are complex and varied. So, while housing needs to come first, it cannot come alone. It must be paired with lasting, stable supports for addictions treatment, trauma care, and income support.
Main Street Project has received the exclusive contract to provide homelessness outreach services for the City of Winnipeg in every neighbourhood, so if you spot someone who needs help, you can call Main Street Project’s 24/7 outreach van team. Details are available here: www.mainstreetproject.ca.
But the need is still too great for one organization to do it alone. That’s why I’ve worked to provide additional new funding to St. Boniface Street Links so that it can increase its outreach work in Elmwood-East Kildonan concurrently. So, starting this spring, we’ll also be able to count on the support of the Street Links outreach team as well. You can learn more about their work at stbonifacestreetlinks.com.
Here in our ward, we are also fortunate to have several organizations working on upstream, preventative solutions to homelessness, such as Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, the Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation, and the Elmwood Community Resource Centre. They are busy providing a variety of income, addictions, food security, mental health, education and eviction prevention supports to our neighbours in need, to prevent homelessness from occurring in the first place.
Overcoming homelessness is a community effort, and all these organizations need our help. If you’re able, think about volunteering your time or donating to them.
Have concerns, or want to learn more about the different initiatives we’re working on? Please reach out to my office at www.emmadurandwood.ca or by calling 204-986-5195.