New supportive housing units open in Winnipeg to help homelessness

A new wave of supportive housing units has opened in Winnipeg, aiming to transition residents from encampments into stable, long-term homes with wraparound services.

26 new units, operated by Sunshine House and the Main Street Project, are now occupied by individuals who were previously unhoused. An additional 41 units—run in partnership with Siloam Mission and the Main Street Project—are expected to be completed in the coming months.

“We know that four walls are simply not enough for people,” said Bernadette Smith, Manitoba’s Minister of Housing, Addictions, and Homelessness. “We have people living in encampments who have very high needs. That’s why we’ve committed to wraparound supports to make sure people are successfully housed.”

These supports include meals, job and life skills training, and mental health and addiction services. According to the province, all 33 individuals who have moved into the new housing have remained housed.

“We have 100 per cent retention in the housing because of the amazing partners designing that housing with people with lived experience in mind—and with people with lived experience,” said Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, the Premier’s Senior Advisor on Ending Homelessness.

The initiative is part of a broader $73 million commitment from the Manitoba government to address chronic homelessness in the 2025 provincial budget. So far, $6.4 million has been spent on the current housing units.

While officials hail the progress, the challenge remains ongoing. The province has cleared 17 encampments in recent months, but new ones have already appeared in the same areas.

“It’s other folks who are finding themselves in situations of homelessness—or perhaps have run out of temporary options like couch-surfing—who are returning to the same sites,” said Whitecloud.

Individuals currently living in one such encampment told CityNews they would be interested in moving into the new housing units, though they had not yet heard of the opportunity.

“This is just a small drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed overall,” said Jamil Mahmood, Executive Director of the Main Street Project. “But it’s a great first step.”