Manitoba invests $3.5M in new safe space for Indigenous women
Posted October 2, 2025 5:55 pm.
Last Updated October 2, 2025 10:08 pm.
A Winnipeg building will soon be renovated into a 24/7 safe space for women.
This comes after a $3.5 million investment from the province, which will offer a web of support to those in need.
The lodge will provide immediate short-term safety and stabilization for Indigenous women at risk of violence, homelessness, or exploitation.
The 10-bedroom facility will be staffed, along with counselling and cultural wellness, a dedicated crisis response line, and mobile transportation to ensure safe travel to the facility.
“We are creating a space here that will literally save lives,” said Manitoba Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine.
“It is meant for 24- to 48-hour stays by referral. This lodge will serve as a bridge a soft handoff, helping women to a broader support that they might need, and community connection.”
According to Ikwe Widdijittiwin’s executive director, Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than non-Indigenous women.
The investment is part of a $20 million provincial strategy to support the safety, protection, and empowerment of Indigenous women, girls, two-spirited, and gender diverse people.
“This is a beautiful project, to help save lives, bring people to services, and connect them to other resources in the community,” said Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith.
The province will continue funding the centre’s operation along with construction. The lodge will open in the summer of 2026.
