Evidence of meeting #42 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was winnipeg.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
She was a very instrumental part, I might add.
You did mention with respect to housing first and the homeless partnership strategy, that it's more than just putting those people, if you will, in homes. There's the extra dimension, as you said, and I call it more wraparound.
Do you feel we're delivering that, the wraparound services? Because, to your point, you can put somebody in need in a home, but that's just the start of the problem.
Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg
Absolutely. Housing is the easiest part of the puzzle. We can build the best housing in the world and we do.
Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg
We need to continue to fund the teams through, say, the At Home project, which identified teams that provide those levels of support.
Remember, our intervention was focused on those with very high needs, mental health needs, addiction, more moderate needs. Our intervention was on mental health and homelessness. Remember too, about 20% of individuals in housing first we have no solution for. We have an even more acute need among those individuals.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
I say this with respect, I see your title, vice-president of research and innovation. Can you talk to me about what innovation you've seen in poverty reduction over the last five years?
Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg
Yes. I'll give you an example. I'm going to use the University of Winnipeg.
We're an academic centre. Out our door we established the Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre, which is the front door to the community members that never thought they had a place on campus. Now, every day after school, we have indigenous kids or new Canadians coming in tinkering with computers. We have parents coming in—
Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg
After school programs run by education students, run by staff, run on vapour, because we have no money for this. We built a rec-plex, through Dr. Axworthy, that signed a community charter so that kids in Allan's neighbourhoods can come.
As well, 30% of that time, we've just given to the community. In Winnipeg, I know people pay $200 an hour for ice time, but it's even more so for field time. We give it for free, and there are hundreds of kids there on a weekend playing soccer. They're off the field, and they're thinking hopefully that there's an avenue.
The last little piece is the opportunity fund. Lloyd also established a fund for kids in the neighbourhood to have a leg up. By the time they get to university, through the University of Winnipeg, they'll have a couple of grand and they can go anywhere. We don't care, but we want to see them.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
Have the numbers in poverty moved in Winnipeg in child poverty over the last 10 years?
Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg
A few have edged us out. I think we're moving slightly, but not much at all.
NDP
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
Thank you very much, and thank you to all of our witness for very insightful presentations.
Obviously, as is known, I have the honour of representing northern Manitoba. It's clear to many of us that poverty faced by people up north, particularly first nations, is intricately connected to poverty in the city.
I'm wondering if perhaps those of you who are based in Winnipeg could speak to how important it is for the federal government to invest in on-reserve housing, particularly in the context of supporting local solutions. I'm sure you know of a number of initiatives where communities have tried to tackle this issue, but of course, there's red tape and a number of different disincentives, including from CMHC. Although, apparently through their review, they are much more interested in supporting local solutions on reserve.
Through understanding, and perhaps for us to take away how important it is to allow people to stay in their communities and create opportunities in the community rather than having no other choice but to flee to the city, not because there are opportunities there but that there's some sort of sense of a better chance of survival. Again, in the spirit of giving us some solid recommendations, could you provide us with some?
I wanted to echo a Canadian Press article that came out a few months ago saying that fixing first nations housing in Manitoba alone would cost up to $2 billion. It would come as a huge deficit, and I see this impact every day, but those of you working in the inner city understand those connections deeply as well.
Perhaps, Allan, we can start with you, and then we can go to Tyler, Clark, and Jino.
Executive Director, Central Neighbourhoods Development Corporation
Thank you for the question. In terms of federal initiatives that I can think of with regard to housing—maybe not in northern communities but at least in rural communities—one that has been successful is the CAB model, the community advisory board. I don't know if Jino or Clark have been involved with that. It was mentioned earlier. A community advisory board is a multi-stakeholder initiative that allows community input. That's one federal initiative that I know of.
Going back to your comments about poverty and the lack of housing in northern communities, my communities, especially the Centennial, see a lot of those communities. We no longer consider newcomers as only those who come to Canada. We also consider newcomers those who come from northern communities to Manitoba. We have the Health Sciences Centre, which is the biggest provider of health services in our area, and because of that, we have a need for housing around that area for newcomers who come from northern neighbourhoods. I can tell you that we are nowhere near addressing any of it.
Member, Federal Working Group, Manitoba, Right to Housing Coalition
That's such a critical issue in this country. I don't even know where to start, and quite honestly, the Right to Housing Coalition is not focused on housing for indigenous people. We have made some assumptions, perhaps, that we weren't in a position to speak for indigenous people. Out of respect, we have supported the vision outlined in the Assembly of First Nations housing strategy, which calls for housing policy to be informed by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
I have personal contact with a good friend on a reserve. He is responsible for housing on the reserve. It's a small reserve in Manitoba, and the money it receives for housing is very limited. The housing comes in to be assembled. Often they can't afford to get professionals to assemble it, so they do it themselves. The housing is not designed for the communities and the lifestyle and climate in which they're being put. They're hardly adequate for down in Winnipeg. Way too many people are overcrowded, as you know very well, and the houses are not conducive to people who are living on the land.
There's a huge amount...and I'm sure $2 billion isn't going to do it. I don't even know where you start with that. The problem is the result of neglect over many years, and as a country, we should be putting way more time and money into it than we currently are.
That's the best I can do right now.
Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg
Thank you for the question. It's very important.
We've had an opportunity to work with both the AMC and MMF a few years ago looking at aboriginal mobility into Winnipeg. We tracked 600 people over three years from 125 different communities in this province into Winnipeg. Over that three-year period, 50% of those in the project were unable to secure housing over the long term; we had repeat movement.
I say to people all the time that in the Canadian context, now that 50% of the indigenous population is living in cities, it's a distinctive pattern that we begin to see, because you can't understand homelessness in Winnipeg without understanding the complex interrelationships that people have with multiple locations and communities. At one time we argued that we have provincial shelter allowance rates, yet a family member will come into Winnipeg, stay with a family, and the family will receive nothing for accommodating that person. In fact, their presence in the community here is important, but nobody.... We're not getting innovative.
A good example—and again, I just try to provide best practice examples here—is the Eagle Urban Transition Centre that was established to be a go-between for those moving into Winnipeg from rural northern and remote communities. As you know, each of those geographies has distinct needs.
Let me also state quickly that we know that homelessness costs the economy billions of dollars. If we can build some housing and provide better additional services, we can have a transformative impact. Peguis First Nation is working on a land acquisition strategy. They're purchasing assets in Winnipeg to fund housing. There are innovative ideas across the country where first nations are becoming economic powerhouses and trying to transform themselves. Peguis and Long Plain in Winnipeg are some great examples of where economic enterprise is changing lives, along with education.
I do think there's a lot, but we're nowhere near it. But again, in Winnipeg a tremendous number of indigenous-based organizations have ideas. Urban Eagle Transition Centre is a great best practice, as well as the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre. All these organizations, for decades...including Kinew Housing, that since 1970 has been providing local solutions.
Help fund them.
Liberal
February 15th, 2017 / 9:30 a.m.
Liberal
Anju Dhillon Liberal Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC
Thank you.
Good morning to all, and thank you so very much for coming. Your testimony thus far has been very touching. It jars you.
Ms. Gunn, you spoke about the link between racism and poverty. Can you please elaborate on this?
Director, Community Inclusion and Investment, Citizen Services, City of Edmonton
In our experience with our task force for the past two years in Edmonton, it really came through loud and clear from our community, as we talked to both indigenous Edmontonians and newcomers, that some of the barriers they face are systemic barriers. They're barriers that are related to discrimination and racism. Certainly when we went back to the community with the report on our engagement, and told them that this is what we heard, they in turn said, yes, and they were proud that we were calling it what it is. We weren't just focusing on inclusion and on people all getting along. We were saying that we have an issue with racism in this city—in all cities across Canada, frankly, and around the world—and we need to call it like it is.
It's certainly something that we see as being really central to the work of EndPovertyEdmonton going forward.
Liberal
Director, Community Inclusion and Investment, Citizen Services, City of Edmonton
We know that our newcomers face challenges with their credentials when they come to this country. They may come with vast experience, great academic credentials, and be unable to find a position that suits their skills or where they can really contribute. Our approach in Edmonton is focused on a human rights and dignity approach. We want people to have that sense of dignity.
As well, certainly we hear about discrimination in terms of housing where people are turned away and where they understand, even though it may not be said quite that bluntly, that they maybe are turned down for housing because of their race.
Those are two examples of the kinds of racism that is prevalent in all communities.
Liberal
Anju Dhillon Liberal Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC
Is it the same for indigenous people in terms of the systemic barriers?
Director, Community Inclusion and Investment, Citizen Services, City of Edmonton
I think so. We have an amazing community in Edmonton. Some of our leaders in terms of the work we've been doing these past two years are the leaders of our indigenous community organizations. As Jino, Allan, and all of us have talked about, the expertise is great. For instance, the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women in Edmonton works with women in order to provide them with the capacity to apply for jobs, to have that capacity to address barriers. They're really leading the way, I think, in terms of supporting especially young indigenous women to really contribute to their community, to take leadership roles in their community, and to support and help their families thrive.
