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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

End of the road for Red Road Lodge?

City cuts funding for transitional housing centre

By: Jenny Ford

Posted: 08/30/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 08/31/2012 7:31 AM | Updates

Richard Walls and general manager Beverly Roberts stand outside the Studio 631 arts centre, located in Red Road Lodge. (WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store

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Members of Studio 631 helped create the lodge's outside mural. (WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store

The thought of telling Red Road Lodge residents their resource centre will be closing Friday and some of them may have to move out by the end of September scares Richard Walls. Many of the lodge's 45 residents are mentally unstable, and he's worried they'll act out, or worse, harm themselves.

"For certain people, that's their home," said Walls, the lodge's CEO, adding they will find the residents a new place to live before they have to move out.

The residence and resource centre for Winnipeg's homeless may have to close its doors after the city cut funding to the organization earlier this month.

UPDATE: The city did not decide to cut federal funding for the Red Road Lodge. The decision was made by a community advisory board of people from a variety of organizations. Incorrect information appeared in the Free Press on Thursday.

"We're just at a loss," said Walls. "After 41/2 years of glowing reports, they make this decision."

The Red Road Lodge provides transitional housing for 45 otherwise homeless people and also operates a resource centre, which holds art and life-skills programs for residents and visitors.

For the last 41/2 years, Red Road Lodge received around $110,000 a year from the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, funding provided by the federal government but doled out by the city.

After asking for an increase to about $400,000 to cover costs for new mental-health staff, they were notified that all funding, including the $110,000, would be cut. "Realistically, we might as well just close our doors," said Walls. "We can't go through the winter."

He said they are laying off four part-time staff and are planning to move six residents out of the former Occidental Hotel at 631 Main St. to other locations by the end of September. Another 12 may have to move to other places in the next two months, he said. He said the lodge would work to find them suitable housing.

In a statement to the Free Press, the city said its "goal in administering the HPS is to fund quality projects that meet community needs and not to provide core operating funding for organizations. While many good-quality project proposals are received, not all applications can be approved."

The federal Human Resources and Skills Development Department echoed this, adding there is no way to appeal the decision and reinstate funding for this round of proposals.

The city outlined their concerns to Red Road Lodge, saying they were seeking funding for too large a staffing model and they needed to have a stronger base of community partners to share the financial burden, Walls said.

While they also get about $220,000 from the province, Walls said, losing the HPS funding is a big enough blow. Red Road Lodge is still seeking charitable status, meaning they can only receive funding from a limited number of places and can't give tax receipts for donations.

Deputy mayor Justin Swandel, chairman of the downtown development committee, said he doesn't want to see the centre disappear.

"This is a very valuable program and a lot of these programs are never going to be self-sufficient. They need direct support from somewhere," he said.

Community supporters including Siloam Mission and Conservative MP Joyce Bateman have written letters of support for the lodge.

jennifer.ford@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 30, 2012 B1

History

Updated on Friday, August 31, 2012 at 7:31 AM CDT: Corrects funding cut source

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