Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza joined Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko at the Manitoba Legislature on Tuesday to highlight homelessness and housing safety issues. Speaking on the front steps, Bereza said the situation requires more attention, especially in Winnipeg and in Manitoba Housing complexes across the province.
“We did it as a press conference on the stairs because of the homeless situation that is going on in Winnipeg right now,” notes Bereza.
He says End Homelessness Winnipeg estimates nearly 2,500 people are without housing, the highest number since the organization began reporting in 2014. Bereza added that residents in Manitoba Housing units have voiced concerns about safety and drug activity.
Concerns from residents and communities
Bereza says residents have described situations where security guards reported high volumes of visitors to certain units, raising questions about drug activity.
“Even before one of the drug dealers was removed, the security guards were showing that some tenants were having more than 20 visitors over an eight-hour period. Well, it’s nice to have friends, but come on. There’s something going on there,” says Bereza.
He adds that bicycles being dismantled inside some housing units created what residents called a “chop shop,” used as currency in the drug trade.
Empty units raise further questions
Alongside safety issues, Bereza says he is concerned about vacant suites in housing complexes that could be available to those in need.
“What we can’t understand is that in Oak Tree Towers, we heard again from the residents that there are apartments sitting empty. Why are we not putting people in there that are suffering and don’t have a place to live? We’re hearing that the Stevens Apartments on Fourth Street SE in Portage are more than half empty. So why are the numbers not going down?” says Bereza.
Legislative discussion and local frustration
Bereza says the issue has been raised several times in the legislature. He notes that residents in Portage la Prairie, Beausejour, and Winnipeg have all shared similar concerns about housing safety.
“People just need to know that they’re going to be safe in their communities. At one complex, we heard from residents saying, ‘I just want to go somewhere else,’ but unfortunately there wasn’t another place for them,” adds Bereza.
Bereza continues that the frustration is shared by RCMP, community safety groups, and local leaders, who want to see more action taken.
“We’re coming into winter and there are people who could lose their lives because of inaction,” he says.
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