Forum held to address senior homelessness in Winnipeg

Politicians, experts, and advocates came together at the Bill and Helen Norrie Library on Sunday for a forum to address a growing issue in Winnipeg: senior homelessness crisis.

“Strikingly, on the street census, they found that one quarter of the people who are homeless were age 50 or higher.  So, seniors are sadly too often experiencing homelessness,” said Jon Gerrard, a former Manitoba Liberal Leader. “We’re looking for solutions and answers, and help for seniors.”

Marion Willis, the founder and executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, says, “This year, more than any other year in our ten years of service, we’re seeing more and more people living homeless.  We’ve had four different seniors since January, brought to us by Winnipeg Police Service.”

Former politician and community advocate Jon Gerrard says inflation and the high cost of living is hitting seniors particularly hard, because many are on fixed incomes.

“People who are seniors, who are renters, who don’t have family in Winnipeg to help them out.  And with the rising cost of rent, the rising cost of food, they all of a sudden find themselves in very difficult circumstances,” said Gerrard.

Willard Reave, the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, says, “We have to start putting our seniors first, and putting them back in their homes, keeping them in their homes.”

Reaves attended the forum as well, telling city news that he wants to hear what seniors have to say about their worries and experiences dealing with a changing economy.

“It’s an issue that should never ever be coming up this seriously, where you have your citizens talking about these things.  Because let’s face it, going outside and looking around and seeing the encampments and things of that nature, we are having some serious crisis in this province, and no one is looking at it,” said Reaves.

Gerrard added, “I think what we’re doing with the forum is listening to the people and understanding better exactly what the province should be doing. We’re going to use this forum as a basis for producing a report which will give explicit recommendations, but today we’re here more to listen to people.”