It’s time to come home

Opinion

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This article was published 22/01/2025 (254 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba government must be commended for taking a crucial step toward meaningfully addressing chronic homelessness in Winnipeg.

The Your Way Home plan aims to tackle encampments head on with a well-supported set of recourses. For Manitobans, the key is whether this $20-million dollar approach offers the right tools to reduce the growing number of people choosing encampments over existing alternatives.

Encampments have grown dramatically not only in Winnipeg but throughout North American over the last decade, increasing rapidly post-pandemic.

The rise of encampments has presented challenging issues with few cities successfully reducing numbers without drastic measures such as criminalizing the very act of “camping” on public or private land. Punitive measures have also been shown time and time again to be less effective than focusing on root causes such as absence of affordable housing, lack of mental health and addictions services and the economic resources needed to invest in sustained programs to stem the revolving door of homelessness.

Ultimately, chasing people out of encampments results in shifting locations rather than long-term solutions. It is important to note that the debate over encampments has often pitted those supporting a punitive solution with those citing a harm-reduction approach. The outcome is often ideological debates over whether to punish or allow people to choose their own path, with neither side progressing toward transitioning persons into stable housing.

For its part, Your Way Home has a bold and focused approach that tackles the core aspects of homelessness.

By stating “tents are not an acceptable replacement for safe, warm, secure, and dignified housing,” the plan sets up a straightforward issue to be resolved. It would seem hard to argue against having Manitobans living in precarious situations with temperatures plummeting as being acceptable.

A second key element is referred to as the One Manitoba approach to ending chronic homelessness.

This is a subtle but critical aspect of the plan that will see enhanced co-ordination and streamlining occur among government and community-based organizations who must agree to shutter encampments. This buy-in is crucial in moving past any hesitancy in directing people toward stable, affordable, and dignified housing.

However, make no mistake, the most difficult aspect of the initiative is the ability to work with persons in encampments to support them finding a way home. I can speak to the importance of the step directly in having led the At Home Chez Soi (AHCS) project using a similar approach. During AHCS, we were able to move 1,000 Canadians into stable, affordable housing (with supports) in 18 months in five cities. We did this using a Housing First approach that is well supported.

In fact, what we offered was an apartment that was fully furnished, a fridge stocked with food and ready access to a team willing to work on a recovery plan. It was ready access to housing with supports that helped convince persons to exit homelessness.

It has been a long time coming for the province of Manitoba to launch a plan that is focused and funded. What is perhaps the strongest evidence is how the plan addresses two logjams; the first being the establishment of the navigation centre which will serve as an intake step in supporting the transition to stable housing. What this will do is give persons an immediate place to go, be assessed and supported.

The second and most difficult logjam is the commitment to securing housing and backing it up with the critical supports, much within a Housing First framework.

In addition, tapping Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud in an important leadership layer, brings all the pieces in place to overcome many of the existing barriers. Certainly, the premier and mayor being fully onboard ensures the intergovernmental co-operation that will be fundamental to success. Make no mistake that the next few months will be hard, heavy work with lots of ups and downs.

In the end, Your Way Home offers hope during a time when little has existed. It will not end homelessness overnight but for growing number of people experiencing homelessness it brings more opportunities for recovery.

For me, we just might see more doors unlocked to a better place for many Manitobans who have otherwise been locked out for far too long.

Jino Distasio is a professor of urban geography at the University of Winnipeg.