Siloam Mission expanding housing opportunities, including new complex on Furby

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This article was published 22/02/2025 (273 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Siloam Mission is increasingly taking on the job of landlord — and it hopes to expand that role amid an affordable housing shortage.

The charity — which oversees Winnipeg’s largest homeless shelter — is in the midst of creating a 26-unit complex on Furby Street in the city’s West End neighbourhood. Leadership aims to accept tenants next month.

The development was teased during Siloam Mission’s annual community report. More details will be announced in the coming weeks, interim CEO Julianne Aitken said after the Saturday event.

Meanwhile, the charity is also working on a 32-bed transitional housing facility for people who’ve left a hospital without a home to return to.

“Acute care hospital beds across Winnipeg, as well as emergency rooms, have become a place of last resort for folks,” Aitken said in a speech. “Hospitals are not the best place — or equipped — to look after, beyond their medical needs, the folks that we serve.”

The beds should be ready by year-end, Aitken shared. Siloam Mission received upwards of $660,000 in cash and tax increment financing through the City of Winnipeg for the project.

The development follows a housing strategy unveiled in 2024 by the charity. The goal: create 700 to 1,000 housing units within a decade for people experiencing homelessness.

“We’re really, very optimistic,” said Darren Nodrick, Siloam Mission’s director of development. He’s seen incoming offers to collaborate with organizations, and potential construction subsidies, piling up.

It’s tough to know how many units Siloam Mission can commit to annually. However, it’s not unreasonable to think that as momentum builds, there could be five projects on the go at a time, Nodrick projected.

“The wonderful thing is government, the private sector and individuals… are coming together,” he said, adding government resources have hastened Siloam Mission’s pace.

The City of Winnipeg is dispersing millions of dollars for homes through Ottawa’s housing accelerator fund. The two governments announced $58.5 million for new housing earlier this month.

Provincially, the New Democrats have pledged to end chronic homelessness in two terms. They released a strategy to tackle the perennial issue last month.

Siloam Mission’s former chief executive was tapped to become the province’s senior adviser on homelessness. Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud left the charity earlier this winter for the government position.

She’s helping “pave the way” for institutions like Siloam to create new resources, Nodrick said.

Blaikie Whitecloud addressed the crowd of Siloam Mission volunteers, donors and staff Saturday. Roughly 110 people attended.

“I’m working on reducing inflows into homelessness,” Blaikie Whitecloud said. “I won’t always be able to point to the progress. One of the beautiful things with Siloam is they can point to progress.”

The charity tracked 1,426 unique shelter users during its 2023-24 fiscal year.

“As the demand for our services continue to grow, the complexity and scale of the solution follow in the same manner,” said Garth Manness, chair of Siloam Mission’s board.

Siloam Mission renewed its articles of incorporation to expand its breadth of work. It now has the ability to own housing and partner with other organizations who’ll deliver programming.

The 37-year-old institution also tweaked its framework to advocate for policy change, Manness said.

Funding for Siloam’s new housing projects is mixed. Government money will cover half of medical transition housing, for instance; the latter half will come from “private supporters,” Nodrick said.

In its 2023-24 fiscal year, Siloam Mission received $3.5 million from government for programs. It drew $8.5 million in private monetary donations, $1.6 million from foundations and another $1.8 million in donated goods.

Five items top Siloam Mission’s housing priority list: seniors housing, emergency housing, sober recovery spaces, housing for youth aging out of care, and Indigenous women and two-spirit-led households.

Seniors consume more than half of Siloam’s long-term shelter users, meaning those staying at least six months.

“We’re finding that more seniors are… unable to afford paying rent and buying groceries,” Aitken said.

Siloam opened a site for homeless seniors in Charleswood last year. Rent at The Roblin is covered by provincial subsidization, tenants’ old age pension and income assistance payments.

The charity began a housing loss-prevention program the same year.

Eighty-seven patrons were housed through Siloam Mission’s transition services during the 2023-24 fiscal year. Most clients — more than half — stay in Siloam Mission’s shelter for three weeks or less.

Siloam Mission’s leaders hold interim titles following Blaikie Whitecloud’s departure. The board will take a “thoughtful approach” and consider what’s needed from its chief executive before hiring a search firm this summer, Manness said.

Siloam continues to operate 83 housing units at The Madison in Wolseley and another 20 at The Arlene Wilson Recovery Centre, meant for those who’ve completed an addiction treatment program. It also runs its shelter on Princess Street.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com