Main Street Project gets exclusive contract for Winnipeg homelessness outreach

Cameron MacLean · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 8:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

The Main Street Project has been awarded an exclusive declaration from the City of Winnipeg to bash outreach enactment with radical surviving successful encampments.

The metropolis antecedently funded 3 organizations — Main Street Project, St. Boniface Street Links and Resource Assistance for Youth — for the work. Now, each calls astir encampments volition beryllium forwarded to Main Street Project. 

The non-profit will instrumentality the pb connected helping to implement the provincial homelessness strategy, which focuses connected moving people retired of camps and into housing.

The declaration provides $275,000 for July 1 to Dec. 31, with the anticipation of extensions for 2 years, with $550,000 disposable successful each year.

In an interrogation Thursday, Main Street Project enforcement manager Jamil Mahmood said the enactment is 1 of the fewer with the capableness to bash 24/7 citywide homelessness outreach.

"The magnitude of wealth successful the grant isn't capable to bash that, and truthful we're fortunate we person concern backing from End Homelessness Winnipeg … that allows america to leverage different wealth to enactment a afloat outreach squad connected the road," Mahmood said.

The caller declaration comes six weeks aft radical in Point Douglas raised concerns aft a squad of Main Street Project outreach workers was seen helping acceptable up an encampment successful the area. 

On May 20, a Selkirk Avenue nonmigratory recorded a video of workers carrying supplies down to the riverbank.

Several Point Douglas residents who spoke to CBC News said they're not blessed that Main Street Project was awarded the caller contract.

Province, metropolis clarified 'other options': MSP

Speaking to CBC News astir the incidental for the archetypal time, Mahmood said constabulary officers asked their outreach workers to assistance determination the radical successful the campy implicit fears astir riverbank flooding, but nary lodging options were instantly available.

"[Firefighters] whitethorn deem that due to the fact that of beingness information issues, [a] campy needs to beryllium moved oregon dismantled," helium said. "Ideally, we person places to location radical from those places, but that's not ever the case."

Mahmood said Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham and Manitoba Housing Minister Bernadette Smith spoke to him astir the May incident, and explained determination are different options erstwhile information concerns unit camps to move.

"I deliberation what's antithetic now, and what was clarified successful the [provincial] Your Way Home strategy — and acknowledgment to the politician and the curate for clarifying that — is that present they're going to supply much resources," Mahmood said.

The provincial homelessness strategy allows for "flex funding" for impermanent accommodations successful emergencies.

"So we person different options, versus conscionable moving encampments from 1 determination to another."

Gillingham has antecedently said anyone doing outreach enactment for the metropolis indispensable beryllium "fully committed" to the province's strategy — a constituent helium says he made successful meetings with Main Street Project.

"And they're committed to the Your Way Home strategy," Gillingham said successful an interview Thursday. "Nothing's moving accelerated capable for anybody, I don't think. We request to spot much advancement faster, but everybody's moving toward that end."

'Short-sighted' decision: Street Links

As portion of its exertion for the contract, Main Street Project committed to partnering with Resource Assistance for Youth, oregon RAY, arsenic a subcontractor, handling calls regarding stateless youth. 

As for St. Boniface Street Links, Mahmood says helium hopes determination volition beryllium opportunities to spouse with the different organization, which responds to calls astir encampments connected the eastbound broadside of the Red River.

Street Links enforcement manager Marion Willis, however, isn't definite the 2 groups tin enactment together.

"We person a antithetic doctrine than Main Street Project," Willis said.

Her enactment emphasizes moving radical into lodging first, she said, whereas Main Street Project prefers a "rights-based approach" that works with radical "where they're at."

She called the city's determination "short-sighted," and said officials didn't consult with radical successful the country astir the interaction the nonaccomplishment of backing to Street Links would have.

Mahmood disputes the thought the 2 groups person antithetic philosophies.

"Housing archetypal is gathering radical wherever they're at, right?" helium said. 

"I deliberation there's possibly a flimsy quality successful approach. There's a quality evidently successful however each enactment functions, but we've ever been determination to enactment folks, and our extremity has ever been to location folks."

In an emailed statement, Housing Minister Smith said Main Street Project is "working successful alignment" with the province's strategy.

A City of Winnipeg spokesperson told CBC News successful an email the declaration was awarded done a competitory process, and Main Street Project's connection received the highest score.