The Manitoba government’s newly-announced homelessness strategy is destined to fail, Manitoba’s Right to Housing Coalition says.
The Winnipeg-based group, which tackles issues related to the shortage of affordable housing, pushed back Wednesday against the province’s plan to move encampment residents into social housing units.
Coalition member Shauna MacKinnon said in a news release that the government’s strategy is avoiding a key element — the lack of housing supply in Manitoba.
While Premier Wab Kinew announced Tuesday that 300 new social housing units had been purchased by the province, MacKinnon said that’s nowhere near enough to make a serious impact.
“The NDP government’s first budget in 2024 included a commitment to add 350 new social units, and that appears to be all we’re going to get,” MacKinnon said.
“Its plan to end homelessness includes no new targets for expanding the social housing supply.
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“It’s difficult to imagine this plan succeeding if it doesn’t provide enough housing units affordable to people experiencing homelessness, …