Siloam Mission lays off staff, pivots amid donation drop

Siloam Mission is laying off 16 people and reducing hours for other workers as part of a “stabilization plan” to address a significant drop in donations.

Staffers were informed on Friday, a news release said, adding it’s hoped the layoffs, which take effect June 1, will be temporary and that employees will be redeployed where possible.

Its drop-in space and clothing store will operate at “slightly” reduced hours, while it will continue to provide three meals a day to the downtown homeless population.

Its other programs are unaffected, the release said.

“As many in the community know, the past year has been difficult across the charitable sector,” said board chair Tracey Silagy in the release. “Charitable giving in Canada is at a 10-year low, while the cost of food, fuel, and essential services continues to rise. At the same time, as the economy worsens, we are seeing more people at our doors every day, in need of our services and programs.”

The release says the priorities are to meet the community’s needs and preserve as many positions as possible.

“Our greatest hope is that these measures are temporary,” the release says.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he is concerned any time fewer people work at an outreach agency.

“I want to make sure, at a time like this, that we continue to work together,” the mayor said. “The need is so great. It doesn’t seem to be waning in any way. I’m concerned when I see fewer people helping out.”

The Free Press had reported that Siloam was on track to cut as many as two dozen positions. The executive team was asked to assess all staff roles, including their tasks, strengths, weaknesses and overlaps.

Private contributions dropped to $7.7 million in 2025-26 from more than $11.3 million in 2021-22.

Siloam said Friday its operating funds, which pay for day-to-day operations and front-line services and programs, has taken the biggest hit.

The organization received just under $8 million in federal and provincial funding in the 2025-26 fiscal year that ended March 31.

The mission has been in a state of turmoil following the hiring of Sonia Prevost-Derbecker in February.

Employees allege she made derogatory remarks about Indigenous people, individuals struggling with substance use and the neighbourhood in which the mission, at 300 Princess St., is located.

The board defended its decision to hire her from the more than 1,100 people who applied following a nationwide search.

Following Free Press stories about the workplace upheaval, one senior executive was dismissed, while another person’s job will not be renewed.

Some employees have called for Silagy and Prevost-Derbecker to be removed.

Siloam said Friday that at the start of Prevost-Derbecker’s tenure, she and the executive team and board undertook a broad organizational review to better understand the challenges that led to a deficit.

“Over the past few months of review, it has become clear that some of the challenges we are addressing today have been building for years,” Prevost-Derbecker said in the release.

“We have left no stone unturned and see that we must address our financial sustainability, leadership structure, internal culture, and our rapid pace of growth, to stabilize the organization.”

Siloam said the immediate focus includes managing costs and increasing charitable revenue, maintaining continuity of front-line services and operations, and ensuring housing and support programs remain sustainable.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca