Province moves 42 people into housing from encampments
Posted September 4, 2026 5:36 pm.
Forty-two new residents moved into transitional housing from shelters and encampments. The province says renovations are still underway, but when completed, the fully operational units will house up to 118 residents, providing 24/7 wraparound supports.
“When I lost my job in Montreal two years ago, I was at a loss because I had to give up the apartment I had. I didn’t know what I was going to do and where I was going to go,” said Robert Little, a resident.
Little was one of the first residents to move in the new transitional units. The 78-year-old was staying in the former n’dinawemak shelter before it closed its doors on April 1.
“I was one of the original 25. And it was scary for me,” he explained.
The province allocated $24.5 million in its budget released earlier this year. The funds were to be spent on purchases and renovations.
Minister Smith said renovations will be completed in the coming weeks, but did not provide a concrete deadline.
“That’s really what it’s about, supporting and meeting people where they’re at and helping them to get to where they want to be,” said Minister Smith.
Supports include case management, crisis response, life-skills development, medication supports, Indigenous cultural and spiritual programming, and connections to mental health and addictions services.
“During the day we have wraparound and case management as well as different clinics coming through. But at nighttime it’s that ability to still have the connections even when the regular 9 to 5 is over,” said Nicholas Candaele, the senior director of n’dinawemak.
As residents transition to permanent housing, more Manitobans will move into the program as part of the strategy’s encampment-to-housing pathway.
So far, six people have moved from transitional housing into permanent suites since November.
“There are different phases. So we are making sure that they have gone through all their programming, so if we set them off to permanent housing, they keep that permanent housing and not just returning back to shelter,” said Candaele.
The announcement is a part of a larger provincial initiative to end homelessness called ‘Your Way Home’.
So far, 263 people have been housed. Recent data from MSP shows 245 people were living at 72 known encampments as of the end of July.
“We want to make sure that people are not in encampments. And we are committed to this as a government to ending chronic homelessness in two terms. And we have certainly moved that needle,” said Smith.
While advocates welcome the updates on transitional housing, they remain cautiously optimistic.
“While it’s wonderful that we’re hearing that there’s some success being made, and with the provincial numbers being harder and more reliable, we still don’t have that longer-term approach. We still don’t know. This is still very new,” said Kate Kehler, the executive director of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg.
