The Manitoba government is pulling back the veil on its plan to address chronic homelessness, detailing how it intends to distribute a $30-million investment outlined in the provincial budget.
Budget 2024, tabled by Premier Wab Kinew and his New Democrats Tuesday, features a $20-million capital grant program reserved for Manitoba’s non-profit sector.
Community housing providers will be able to apply for funding to purchase and renovate existing social housing units or finance new builds.
“We’ve seen what happens when you slow down supply in other jurisdictions and we can’t let that happen here in Manitoba; we won’t let that happen,” Kinew said Thursday, speaking alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a related news conference.
“This is going to help our relatives who, unfortunately, we still see sleeping in tents and under bridges. It’s going to offer new steps on the ladder to Manitobans from all walks of life to be able to move into housing units, rental units and, of course, on to home ownership.”
The budget includes and additional $10 million reserved for municipalities and Indigenous governments that can use the funds to facilitate the planning, development, conversion and construction of new social housing units.
The premier stressed he is committed to ensuring “Manitoba remains a province where housing is affordable.”
The Manitoba Non-Profit Housing Association lauded the announcement as a positive first step, but cautioned the NDP that addressing homelessness will require consistent long-term funding.
“It’s positive that the government recognizes that investments in social housing are a fundamental aspect of addressing homelessness. The range of funding programs to maintain and create housing will address different needs, and non-profit housing organizations are looking forward to getting back into building more safe and dignified housing options,” Christina Maes Nino, association executive director, said in an email statement.
“However, we know the investment falls short of the need, and you can’t end homelessness with half measures. Sustained and sufficient investments will be necessary, and the sooner they start, the sooner they will pay off.”
Among the cornerstones of the NDP’s election campaign platform last summer was a promise to end chronic homelessness in Manitoba within eight years.
In a news release issued Thursday, the party said it has already “made important progress” toward that goal.
In the last six months, the province has worked with community partners to connect more than 150 people with temporary or permanent housing and social supports.
Additionally, it has provided capital and operating funding to support the development of more than 1,300 housing units, of which more than half are to be rented at rent geared to income or affordable rates, the release said.
All told, the 2024 budget sets aside $116 million to build at least 350 social and affordable housing units, and repair more than 3,000 others.
The provincial sales tax is being removed on new affordable housing units in a bid to speed up construction.
The province will also provide $14 million to support a variety of initiatives, including rent supplements for homeless people, a new program to assist tenants whose housing is threatened by pests and housing supports for victims of gender-based violence.
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’ city desk. Since joining the paper in 2022, he has found himself driving through blizzards, documenting protests and scouring the undersides of bridges for potential stories.