City seeks 24-hour mobile unit to help homeless, sets aside $275K

The City of Winnipeg is seeking 24-hour mobile outreach services to support the homeless, with a focus on getting people out of encampments and into safe housing.

The city has budgeted up to $275,000 to pay one or more groups to do the work, with the proponents required to align with the Your Way Home strategy, as per new request for proposals.

“The strategy that the province has laid out involves agencies and the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba all moving in the same direction, so that we’re focused on getting people out of encampments, off of riverbanks (and) into housing with wrap-around supports… There may be different philosophies when it comes to homelessness. We want to make sure that we are funding those agencies that are working in full alliance with (the) strategy,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.

The $20-million, two-year, provincially led Your Way Home strategy aims to move several hundred people out of encampments and into housing. When he introduced the strategy in January, Premier Wab Kinew said encampments will be moved only after housing is secured for every person living at an entire site.

He said emptied encampments would be cleaned up and monitored by foot patrols to prevent people from moving back to them.

By early May, the province credited the program with finding homes for 33 people. However, some residents say encampments that were removed continue to re-emerge at the same sites, despite the goal to prevent that.

When asked if he thinks the strategy has proven successful, Gillingham said he believes it has taken initial steps forward amid significant obstacles.

“We need more housing units for this strategy to be fully successful, because it’s a housing first strategy… It’s very difficult to treat someone’s addiction or mental health if they’re living in an encampment down by a river. We need to put people into housing. We don’t have enough housing right now, so that… is the biggest bottleneck,” he said.

The city’s RFP notes outreach providers will be expected to “rapidly transition” people out of encampments and into better accommodations, among other services.

“In addition to this role, and during periods when accessible housing is not available, outreach services will provide ongoing safety and well-being checks, transportation, transfer to emergency shelters, and referrals to other service providers, such as housing, health care, mental health and addictions services,” it notes.

The contract will cover outreach efforts to people living at encampments from July 1 to Dec. 31, with the option of two one-year extensions.

The city will accept bids for the work until June 12.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga