Homeless Crisis Looms
By John Mohan

Rick lives on a limited income, and called the Bell Hotel "home" for about five years. Although the Bell was aging and in serious need of repairs, there was a sense of community there. The 52 tenants – the elderly, physically handicapped, mentally ill and those struggling with addiction issues – relied on each other and watched out for each other. Grocery deliveries. Prescription pick-ups. Whatever was needed. People believed the most frail were the most looked after.

Admittedly, there were problems living at the Bell. Most of the issues surrounded the lounge and off-site liquor sales. It's hard to imagine anything healthy results from mixing alcoholics with booze and social assistance cheques. But Rick was more or less content there. His friends were close. He could easily access necessary services. And it was affordable, being under $250 per month for a modest room. Affordable housing is something that's in short supply in Winnipeg.

If you earn a stable income but are not ready to buy a home, you know finding a suitable apartment is not easy. But according to Institute of Urban Studies researcher Susan Mulligan, Winnipeg has seen a net loss of almost 5,000 units in the past 16 years.

If you live on a limited income, you already know affordable housing is hard to access. What you may not know is apartment vacancy rates in Winnipeg are 1.5% and shrinking.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING SHORTAGE

If you're the sole income provider of your home, working for minimum wage (currently $8 per hour) you already know how hard it is to afford both shelter and groceries because you're spending at least one third of your gross income on rent. What you may not know is that you're competing with over 60,000 Manitobans living on social assistance for about 35,500 subsidized housing units.

If these trends continue, expect the housing shortage crisis to become a homelessness crisis. Those most at risk to find themselves on our streets will be: the mentally ill, the physically disabled, those dealing with substance abuse/addiction problems, minimum wage earners and new immigrants.

That's not to say nothing is being done, or at least attempted. The ongoing tri-level Winnipeg Housing and Homelessness Initiative and the provincial government's HomeWorks are multi-million dollar funding projects intended to address the housing shortfalls. But they may be too little, too short-term, and too bureaucratic to assist the people who need the help the most.

When the CentreVenture Development Corporation bought and closed the Bell last summer, all 52 residents were evicted. While most of the displaced were assisted in finding alternate housing, some found relocation difficult. Rick commented about a stigma that went with living at the Bell, which made finding a new home harder. After a great deal of searching he found a two-bedroom suite on Mountain Avenue that he shares with a friend. He was fortunate. Of Winnipeg's 20,500 two-bedroom units, only 305 were vacant last year.

Affordable, stable housing is a big ticket infrastructure item and requires a long-term, centralized strategy. Neglecting it is not a cost-free solution, but addressing it will benefit everybody. Having a home means people live healthier lives, which reduces health-care costs. People are more productive employees, which contributes to a healthier economy. And with multi-billion dollar federal surpluses in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it will remind us that we're still a compassionate, civilized society.

Originally printed in The Winnipeg Sun Wednesday, February 20, 2008.
Reprinted with the permission of Sun Media Corporation.