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NORTH END HOUSING LAB REPORT In the Spring of 2019, The Winnipeg Boldness Project and End Homelessness Winnipeg, in partnership with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, and the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council began a lab that looked at housing in Winnipeg’s North End community. Both CMHC and the McConnell Foundation were with lived experience, drawing on the multiple reports interested in supporting community-led initiatives that that individuals in Winnipeg’s North End have lent their addressed housing challenges and barriers, as well as the thoughts, ideas and insights to over the past 3-5 years. potential for housing-related employment for people in The lab was guided at every step by its Indigenous the North End. The Winnipeg Boldness Project was well Decision-Making Group, and engaged several people from positioned to run the lab and recognized early on that End diverse parts of the housing system to better understand Homelessness Winnipeg would be a critical partner as the what is getting in the way of people accessing the housing lab was implemented. The lab centred the voices of people they need and identify opportunities for change. NORTH END HOUSING LAB REPORT 1 An Indigenous Decision-Making Group The Housing Solutions Lab’s was formed to provide insight and WHOLISTIC APPROACH Zoning & Regulation direction related to what was TO HOUSING IN THE Like the housing stock, the infrastructure (water and emerging through the lab process. waste, transportation, etc.) in the North End is old The Decision-Making Group includes: NORTH END and in need of major repairs and upgrades. Little The Decision-Making Group identified investment has gone into improving infrastructure; • Belinda Vandenbroeck therefore, it has been left to developers to bear the Elder four key prototypes that can be explored cost of upgrading on-site infrastructure. Due to the separately, but all interconnect to address challenges associated with developing multi-family was to answer the following • Damon Johnston issues identified in the lab. Although each dwellings and limited availability of incentives to do President and CEO, challenge question: of these areas can be taken on separately so, developers default to single-family homes for sale Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg or simply leave land vacant. There is a pressing need by different partners, there is also value in How might we create an actionable approach for a prototype that would address the regulations and • Dana Riccio-Arabe considering how they interact in the real-life infrastructure challenges that get in the way of new to building homes and community in the North Executive Director, context of housing in the North End. The affordable infill rental housing in the North End. End through a meaningful engagement process Wahbung Abinoonjiiag Inc. that centres the voices of the people who live Decision-Making Group identified Wahbung • Diane Roussin Abinoonjiiag, an Indigenous organization here, identifies and mobilizes the resources Project Director, Indigenous Models of Housing located in the North End that is in the early needed to ensure these homes are completed The Winnipeg Boldness Project The community has also drawn attention to the need stages of co-creating Indigenous housing and lived in, and creates opportunities for for housing forms that accommodate larger families, • Dodie Jordaan and a new social enterprise, as a place to different family configurations and have spaces to gather people in the area to gain housing-related skills Executive Director, explore this intersection alongside other as a community. These new homes and the housing and jobs? Ka Ni Kanichihk partners and community. resources that accompany them, must be based on • Jarred Baker Indigenous principles and understandings of family Program Manager, and home. These factors exacerbate the issues of child Eagle Urban Transition Centre Indigenous-Led Housing Ventures apprehension and child welfare in the North End, and The community has indicated that there is a need often “suitable” housing in the eyes of Child and Family • Levi Foy for Indigenous-led housing ventures – particularly in Services can be the lynch pin to family reunification. Executive Director, Winnipeg’s North End. There is significant inequity in Sunshine House the existing housing system and very little Indigenous control of the elements of this system that has a Social Finance for Development • Lucille Bruce substantial impact on Indigenous communities. We have heard repeatedly throughout this process CEO, Purpose Construction, Building Urban Industries that funding to develop new low-income housing is End Homelessness Winnipeg for Local Development (BUILD Inc.), and North End almost non-existent. While all levels of government • Jill Andres Community Renewal Corporation (NECRC), are currently maintain initiatives to address these issues, efforts are Creating Value exploring the idea of a new, collaborative Indigenous- largely not adequate in relation to the exponential need (Facilitator) led property development and management social for affordable and safe housing in the inner-city. enterprise. Wahbung Abinoonjiiag is also taking over End Homelessness Winnipeg’s Housing Supply Action • Lissie Rappaport Sponsor Management of Manitoba Housing units to Committee is exploring a new social finance approach Manager of Housing Supply, house families they work with and develop their own to build much needed low-income housing through a End Homelessness Winnipeg property management social enterprise. framework similar to a P3 (Public-Private Partnership). (Notetaker) 2 NORTH END HOUSING LAB REPORT NORTH END HOUSING LAB REPORT 3 evelopers incur co d sts of r ep Since time immemorial, se la purcha c nd INFRASTRUCTURE in la g Indigenous peoples have lived on DEVELOPMENT LAND E.G. WATER AND WASTE the land where Winnipeg sits. Winnipeg north GOVERNMENT PLANNING STATUS QUO DEVELOPER/ In the North End of Winnipeg, HOUSING E.G. SINGLE end Housing lab NON-PROFIT Indigenous peoples make up 29% DEVELOPMENT FAMILY HOUSING of the population. Yet, our APPROVAL PROCESS FOR PRIVATE current housing system reflects systems map NEW HOUSING TYPES DEVELOPMENT entrenched racism and oppression. DEVELOPER The map is a way to summarize what people from FINANCING & different parts of this ‘system’ have been saying INCENTIVES HOUSING THAT Solutions must respect and embed about housing in the North End. It does not tell MEETS PEOPLE’S CONSTRUCTION RENT cultural identity and Indigenous the whole story, but it does provide a community NEEDS ways of knowing, being and doing. a lens on the housing challenge. It shows a system COMPANY p p l i c that is not working and points to some places a t io In the North End: where changes to the status quo could make a PROCUREMENT n ap pro difference. The question behind this map is: (LABOUR) val INDIVIDUAL & FAMILY applica e tion 15% OF HOUSEHOLDS ) c denied y n e CONSTRUCTION SOCIAL e .g. Natio a l nal Occu p io pancy S v WELLBEING nd tandards PROPERTY o u HAVE 5 OR MORE “How might we create an actionable approach to t ly o i r s a ENTERPRISE THAT HIRES e m e p l a ic ra b f rv w building homes and community in Point Douglas a e MANAGEMENT S PERSONS t ily PEOPLE WITH BARRIERS o m a n F (and the North End, more broadly) through a ( + ld n hi o C i .g. meaningful engagement process that centres the TO EMPLOYMENT t e c n i io v at e ig d v e THE VACANCY RATE FOR voices of the people who live here*, identifies a i n n e YOUTH AGING y d and mobilizes the resources needed to ensure iar n HOUSING & ed io 3+ BEDROOMS IS 0% m t er a nt c OUT OF CARE these homes are completed and lived in, and i li p COMMUNITY p creates opportunities for people in the area to GOVERNMENT a navigat SUPPORTS ion e.g gain housing-related skills and jobs?” FUNDING/FINANCING . Emp COSTS TO loym THE WINNIPEG-WIDE *Includes people who are chronically homeless who spend time in the Point Douglas ent & In (or surrounding) area. los com GOVERNMENT/ s o e A WAITLIST FOR SOCIAL f ho ss usi ist IA ng an n E SOCIETY firs ce e i CHILDREN HOUSING IS GREATER t t ng Simply put, what housing does the North End op ha -up C IN CARE community need, what is getting in the way, COORDINATION COMMUNITY THAN 2,500 FAMILIES and what changes are needed? BETWEEN LEVELS OF WELLBEING INCOME GOVERNMENT SUFFICIENCY/ MOST OF THE HOUSING IS OTHER POSITIVE & POVERTY LEGEND: AND WITHIN NEGATIVE SOCIAL OUTCOMES IN NEED OF REPAIRS, GOVERNMENT WHILE 15% IS IN NEED OF Connections between the different E.G. EDUCATION, JUSTICE HOMELESSNESS/ child apprehension LOCAL parts of the system INAPPROPRIATE BUSINESSES MAJOR REPAIRS HOUSING Current Prototype TRAINING & CRIMINAL Central, critical, and vulnerable to GANGS EMPLOYMENT 75% OF HOUSING WAS changes in funding JUSTICE SYSTEM BUILT BEFORE 1960 4 NORTH END HOUSING LAB REPORT NORTH END HOUSING LAB REPORT 5 “My last place I lived in, it was already Transitions Out of Care “People come to the city because a family trashed when I moved in. The sink in the member invites them: come stay with “I think there’s a misconception, you washroom was broken; the floors were me. Often, they feel like a burden when VOICES OF LIVED EXPERIENCE know, that if people are couch surfing, wrecked. Then, when I moved out, the they arrive. This is the number one issue “More housing” Feeling disrespected by landlords: in some way they are better off than Community Wellbeing landlord blamed me and didn’t return we see.” “Landlord was asking over the phone: ‘Do people in shelters. But what I’m finding “I stay inside late at night because I’m “Don’t displace people.” my deposit.” you have an income?’ with women [who are] couch surfing “I think there needs to be more afraid to be outside alone.

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