Charity building second housing site in city

Housing advocates say the province needs more social-housing projects to address the homelessness crisis in Manitoba.

Construction on a 23-unit apartment building at 480 Young St. was underway Wednesday. The aim is to house up to 40 homeless and at-risk individuals and families by the end of 2025.

Ontario-based charity Raising the Roof bought the derelict property in November and began renovations in May. It’s the second project the non-profit has undertaken in Winnipeg.

“I think we need social housing. We tend to lean to not-for-profit or public housing because it not only guarantees it now, but also in the future,” Jamil Mahmood, executive director of Main Street Project, said.

The Spence-area apartment block was put into receivership in March 2023 after a significant fire in 2022. The building presented an opportunity for Raising the Roof to expand its housing projects outside Ontario.

The building cost $1 million and, at the time of purchase, the organization expected the renovation to cost less than $5 million.

Funding for the project came through donors and private partnerships. After renovations are finished, 24/7 on-site supports from Main Street Project will be available for tenants.

Mahmood said the project is seeking public funding for operations and staff members at the complex.

A provincial government spokesperson wouldn’t confirm whether the province is in negotiations to provide operational funding, citing byelection blackout rules.

Mahmood said any vacant or derelict building in Winnipeg should be eyed for projects such as this and that the province shouldn’t rely on private landlords to increase the housing supply for homeless people.

“If there are private landlords offering, great, but I think there’s a guarantee this (project) is going to last longer term and meet the needs if it’s publicly or not-for-profit owned,” he said. “It gives more stability for the longer-term housing we need.”

Mahmood estimates the province needs 10,000 units of housing to meet the needs of the province’s homeless population, including those living in encampments, in shelters or are at risk of becoming homeless.

Data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation show the average vacancy rate for an apartment in Winnipeg in October 2024 was 1.7 per cent.

Premier Wab Kinew said last month that when his government took office, it was constrained by the lack of housing units after the former government sold some of its housing stock.

He said the province is in the process of building and restoring social-housing units and helping an estimated 700 Manitobans move from tents to homes as part of the government’s Your Way Home strategy to end chronic homelessness.

The province had moved 59 people from encampments to housing as of the end of July. Fifty-three have moved into social housing, and six live in private rentals.

In May, the province announced 67 new social-housing units, all of which are occupied.

Leslie Bellingham, director of strategic partnerships and initiatives for Raising the Roof, said renovation projects such as the one on Young Street can play a significant role in addressing homelessness.

“When you have buildings like this that can be renovated, it’s efficient, and you’d be able to do this faster and easier,” she said. “If we have the space available, then we can use it, and use it to its full potential.”

The non-profit’s other project, at a former nail salon at 573 Mountain Ave., was converted to a three-unit home and has been occupied ever since.

“We were there earlier today and were speaking with one of the tenants, who just was telling us all of the impacts on her life and everything that she was able to do because of the project,” Bellingham said.

“That’s definitely the kind of impact that we’re trying to recreate here.”

Mahmood is optimistic about 480 Young St.

“If it goes well, I think there’s a good model,” he said. “We need more housing in general, but if a not-for-profit can be identified as a service provider early on, and then a partner like Raise the Roof can do all the building work and capital work, then we don’t have to develop those expertise.”

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca