WINNIPEG, – Everyone in Canada deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for affordable housing.
The Government of Canada created a national strategy to build and renovate hundreds of thousands of units and provide affordable housing to people across the country.
By continuing to make investments in affordable housing, the government is building stronger communities, creating jobs, and growing our middle class, while fighting homelessness and helping vulnerable Canadians.
The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, alongside the Honourable Rochelle Squires, Manitoba’s Minister of Families, and Brian Bowman, Mayor of Winnipeg, today announced more than $12.7 million to create an estimated 59 new affordable homes for individuals and families in Winnipeg through the Cities Stream under the expanded Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). These housing units will support Canadians in uncertain housing situations, experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or living in temporary shelters because of the pandemic.
To make this announcement, Minister Hussen was joined by the Honourable Jim Carr, and the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs.
These funds will go towards three new affordable housing projects located in Winnipeg.
- The first project, located at 670 Main Street, will be operated by Manitoba Metis Federation and will convert an existing building into 22 residential units for Indigenous people.
- The second project located at 590 Victor Street will be operated by West Central Women’s Resource Centre. It will rehabilitate and repair an existing building to create 16 homes for women and children fleeing domestic violence.
- The third and final project, operated by Westminster Housing Society, will be modularly constructed at 545 Broadway Avenue and will assemble 21 new homes for LGBTQ2+ Canadians.
This is in addition to the Government of Canada’s previous investment of $12.5 million through the first phase of the Rapid Housing Initiative to support the creation of 77 housing units in Winnipeg.
In addition, in Manitoba under the project’s stream, $16.6 million was previously allocated to construct 80 new homes in the following six Indigenous communities: Hollow Water First Nation (10 units), Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (8 units), Norway House Cree Nation (28 units), Peguis First Nation (18 units), Tataskweyak Cree Nation (10 units) and Little Grand Rapids First Nation (6 units).
New investments under the Rapid Housing Initiative will create thousands of good jobs in the housing and construction sector, grow the middle class, and build back stronger communities, while getting us closer to our goal of eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada.