Siloam Mission launches housing strategy, aims to solve chronic homelessness in Winnipeg
A Winnipeg-based non-profit organization is hoping to tackle chronic homelessness in the city with a newly launched housing strategy.
Siloam Mission said its goal is to create between 700 and 1,000 housing units over the next 10 years to provide more shelter for vulnerable people.
“A lot of people think about homelessness as something that happens to an individual and are looking for individual solutions,” said Siloam Mission CEO Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud. “But at a systems level, most homelessness is caused by a lack of affordable and supportive housing options.”
While Blaikie Whitecloud called the target ambitious, she said it’s possible.
“We’re not going to solve homelessness in Winnipeg without being ambitious,” she said. “We might fall short in 10 years, we might over-deliver in 10 years; I think that there are enough Winnipeggers that want to see a solution to homelessness.”
Currently, Siloam Mission operates 137 housing units around Winnipeg, in addition to its shelter space and drop-in facility in the Exchange District.
According to Blaikie Whitecloud, if Siloam Mission reaches or surpasses its goal of building 1,000 units, the spaces will be able to house around 25 per cent of Winnipeg’s homeless population.
But the new project comes with a hefty price tag. Blaikie Whitecloud estimated each unit will cost between $150,000 and $250,000 to create, but said the investment will pay off.
“We know that there will be so many savings,” she said. “There'll be savings in our health care system when people are housed adequately and can recover or prevent health issues by having housing. There'll be savings in police and ambulance calls. There'll be savings in social systems.”
In order to reach its goal, Siloam Mission said it’s also looking to partner with organizations like True North Sports and Entertainment, as well as the provincial and municipal governments.
The organization said it will also work with the community it serves to develop housing units that best fit their needs.
“What I hope the community members who get to live in that housing after feel is that they were heard,” said Blaikie Whitecloud. “That housing was built for them with them in mind, by their leadership with dignity, so that they can thrive and then in return contribute to society.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A healthy lifestyle can mitigate genetic risk for early death by 62%, study suggests
Even if your genetics put you at greater risk for early death, a healthy lifestyle could help you significantly combat it, according to a new study.
When you have a moment's notice to evacuate, what do you take?
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses the 'hurtful' end of her talk show in new stand-up set
Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end in her newest Netflix special, 'Ellen's Last Stand ... Up Tour.'
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.