Province hires special advisers to tackle homelessness crisis

The former interim CEO of Siloam Mission is one of two new special advisers hired to support a Manitoba cabinet minister as the province battles the homelessness crisis.

Julianne Aitken, who served as Siloam Mission’s director of services before being named interim CEO following Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud’s departure in January 2025, joined the provincial government earlier this week, according to an order-in-council document.

Whitecloud left Siloam to become Premier Wab Kinew’s special adviser on homelessness before joining a real estate investment trust — the Collaborative Housing Alliance — 10 months later.

Sources familiar with the sector described Aitken as a “rock star” with extensive experience working on the front lines of homelessness and social services.

Aitken joins Dana Connolly, who previously held several roles with Ka Ni Kanichihk, an Indigenous-led community services organization. Connolly started with the province on May 25.

Both hires were announced via separate order-in-councils and will work alongside Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith.

Kinew said Thursday during a media scrum at the Manitoba legislature that Aitken is being tasked with helping with the homelessness file, while Connolly will work on mental health.

“This department, I’ve told them from Day 1, is the department of getting people out of tents and getting people into homes,” Kinew said.

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But Kinew said in order to do so, and have those from encampments be successful in staying in those homes, they need wraparound supports, including mental-health treatment and health-care access.

“So you have one person who’s focused on getting people from tents into housing and keeping them in housing, and then you’ve got another person — both of whom are very qualified and great people — who is (looking at) how do we make sure that the needs that Manitobans have today around mental health, anxiety, depression, everything, how do we meet those needs in the public health-care system?”

Smith’s office said part of the reason for the hires is that her department does the most direct outreach and front-line work outside of the province’s Health portfolio.

Aitken and Connolly are each set to make about $121,000 annually.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

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