A $3-million investment by the Manitoba government will help Siloam Mission expand by 50 beds and add resources to help homeless people stay off the street and reintegrate to housing.
Manitoba Housing is providing support for Siloam Mission’s Make Room campaign, which aims to add more than 54,300 square feet of additional shelter, programming and administrative space to its current location in Winnipeg’s inner city. Fielding delivered today’s announcement at the shelter alongside Robert-Falcon Ouellette, member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre, who attended on behalf of Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and minister responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The expansion will create approximately 50 new overnight shelter beds, including up to 33 dedicated beds for women, and new space for Siloam’s health services, administrative and volunteer resource areas.
“Everyone deserves access to a safe place to stay and ensuring housing for Manitoba’s most vulnerable populations is a priority for our government,” said Families Minister Scott Fielding. “This investment will enable Siloam Mission to support more people as they find stability to get back on their feet and specifically help women through the emphasis on dedicated beds.”
Fielding announced $3 million for the capital project, which includes $2 million of provincial funding and $1 million through the federal-provincial Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) agreement.
The money will help create a service-based campus at the mission with a new two-storey link between the existing shelter building at 300 Princess St. and the soon-to-be completed 400-seat dining area at 303 Stanley Ave.
“Our government is committed to providing communities the support they need to build capacity to develop local solutions to homelessness,” said Ouellette. “Having a roof over one’s head is the foundation for socio-economic success for all Canadians.”
“Today is a great day for Siloam Mission,” said Jim Bell, chief executive officer, Siloam Mission. “With the government’s investment, we will have surpassed our 70 per cent fundraising benchmark and will be able to put a shovel in the ground to start construction of the new link building this fall. This expansion will ‘make room’ so that no one is turned away who needs a bed and women will have a private area so they feel safe.”
Siloam Mission is a Christian-based non-profit service organization for vulnerable Manitobans who have experienced homelessness and who struggle with mental health issues, physical and cognitive disabilities, addictions or trauma, and youth who have aged out of care and are at risk of homelessness. Founded in 1987, the mission provides 110 bed spaces and services at its emergency shelter. Siloam Mission is one of five emergency shelters that receive annual operating grants from Manitoba Housing’s $1.6-million Emergency Shelter Assistance Fund.
