Prime Minister Mark Carney said the federal government is eliminating homelessness within 10 years with renewed co-ordination and dedicated funding.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney said the federal government has learned from past mistakes as it sets a goal to eliminate homelessness within 10 years.
Speaking at a press conference Friday in Winnipeg, Carney said, “Too often, these efforts have been inadequately resourced, poorly co-ordinated and not sustained.”
He said Manitoba was chosen as the first stop after releasing the budget Thursday because there is already a plan in place involving the federal government, the province, the City of Winnipeg and private philanthropy.
Carney said the federal approach includes not only building enough affordable housing, but also helping vulnerable people and providing health supports to help people escape homelessness long term.
The federal budget, he said, offers $11.2 billion to tackle homelessness over four years starting next year, and $17.8 billion over 10 years.
Under the partnerships described by Carney, the federal government would fund construction costs, while provinces and other partners would cover operations.
Winnipeg is set to receive money first, with at least $1 billion in new funding aimed at 2,000 new housing units and the construction of a Centre for Mental Health and Addictions.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the funding commitment is “a huge, humungous deal” for the province and that Manitoba is committing $84 million a year to support what Ottawa has committed to build.
Kinew said the province has not yet chosen a location for the health-care campus, but he will push to have it completed within the three-year timeline Carney set as a goal, adding, “We’re going to get it done right, we’re going to get it done quick.”
Kinew also referenced the provincial NDP’s shorter-term objective of ending chronic homelessness by 2031, saying faster progress is possible due to co-ordination among all levels of government, including Indigenous leaders and other partners.
He said, “It’s the first time in our country’s history where every level of government has come together to tackle homelessness, including First Nations and Métis governments.”
Friday’s event was held at Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn, the former Hudson Bay store in Winnipeg being transformed into an Indigenous hub of housing and other services by the Southern Chiefs’ Organization.
Jerry Daniels, grand chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, said he was not sure what new housing funding would come their way, but that the announcement was welcome.
End Homelessness Winnipeg CEO Jennifer Moore Rattray said she was excited by the investment and argued that the city and province already know what works, but “Now we actually have the investment.”
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