Homelessness and addiction ranked among the top concerns for Winnipeg residents heading into the municipal election, and a local broadcaster put the question of solutions directly to several candidates on the ballot.
Melody Pendree, a Winnipeg resident, pointed to vacant properties and substance use as two interconnected concerns in the neighbourhood. Homelessness and addiction rank among the issues Pendree identified as priorities heading into the election. Her household — home to two children — is situated in the Point Douglas area.
She told reporters she wants a concrete plan addressing homelessness and addiction issues, adding that her children's wellbeing weighs on her daily. Pendree noted that despite living only two houses from the school, her children are unable to walk there on their own because people are occupying the pavement along the route.
Kate Kehler, who works with the Planning Council of Winnipeg, argued that additional funding and housing supports are needed, and took issue with the city's encampment enforcement policy, contending that harm reduction had not been given a genuine opportunity to work before authorities moved away from it. Kehler noted that the programme had not received its full allocation of funding.
St. Boniface Street Links representative Marion Willis called on the City to bring the sector in as genuine partners in addressing homelessness, arguing that meaningful collaboration — rather than periodic consultation — is what the work requires. Willis called on decision-makers to take the input of outreach teams more seriously, arguing that those working directly in the field hold a deeper understanding of how to tackle the challenges at hand.
Three mayoral contenders — identified through a Probe Research poll as the frontrunners — sat down with the outlet for interviews. Addressing homelessness and addiction, those consulted called for greater access to affordable housing.
A provincial partnership arrangement has been established and is set to continue. The City of Winnipeg is making land available that has been designated as surplus to its needs. Those properties were handed over to the province, which has since put them to use for affordable housing development. Gillingham described the effort as a product of joint work across all involved parties.
Vogiatzakis, running for mayor, put forward a concept he called a "Winnipeg Village" — a facility modelled on Minneapolis's Avivo Village that would span roughly 50,000 square feet of warehouse space. Within that warehouse, one hundred compact dwellings have been arranged. People experiencing homelessness alongside addiction are placed into stable housing, with a dedicated room and a consistent place to live. Vogiatzakis described the atmosphere as one where people felt protected and at ease.
Journalists from a news outlet made contact with the Klein campaign seeking comment. The written statement laid out a plan centred on a managed encampment site — intended to serve as a transitional step toward permanent housing — alongside an expansion of outreach support services.
