Mayor wants ring of 24/7 shelters around Downtown Winnipeg
Winnipeg's mayor is proposing a plan to create a ring of 24/7 shelters around downtown Winnipeg which he says will help get those experiencing homelessness out of bus shelters and into safe spaces.
Mayor Scott Gillingham along with Coun. John Orlikow have put forward a motion to city council which would allocate $1 million to invest in shelters for the city's homeless community.
He said while many shelters offer refuge overnight, only two operate 24/7 – Velma's House operating in the North End to support at-risk Indigenous women, and the West End 24/7 shelter which is largely targeted for youth.
"We believe there has been some geographic gaps," he said. "Ultimately with these investments, it is like a ring of 24/7 safe spaces that are kind of just on the outside of downtown that provides homeless individuals shelter and a place to go."
The proposed plan would expand services at Velma's House and West End 24/7, and add support for two news sites in Winnipeg, which the city said will be confirmed in 2024.
"Unfortunately, the need is so great that these sites are now necessary," Gillingham said.
He pointed to instances of people sleeping in transit shelters.
"It is hard, it is difficult to ask someone to come out of a transit shelter if there is no place for them to go," he said. "We want to make sure that transit shelters are fully available for transit users again. That is one of the goals we have here. But ultimately we want to make sure people have the resources and the protection that they need."
Gillingham's plan would also see the creation of an extreme weather response plan, which would go into effect when temperatures drop to -25C or colder. This plan would pre-designate a city-owned building as the primary temporary shelter site.
The city's CAO is expected to report back to the community services committee by the end of September.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'She was waiting for you': The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother in England
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'Love has no boundaries': Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Ontario family releases statement on infant son, grandparents killed in wrong-way Highway 401 crash
An Ontario family says they are 'reeling' in 'profound grief' after losing their three-month-old son and parents visiting from India in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last Monday.