The Manitoba government is buying apartment buildings as part of its plan to move people out of encampments and address homelessness.
The government says several buildings are being bought and renovated, and the province will partner with community agencies to offer support services such as addiction treatment.
The NDP government has promised to eliminate chronic homelessness — people who are unhoused for several months or more — within seven years.
It says starting this winter, staff and partner groups will go to encampments and aim to have everyone in that encampment moved into housing within 30 days.
Premier Wab Kinew says $20 million will be spent over two years on the effort, and that is on top of other housing and mental health money laid out in the budget.
The government has hired Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, chief executive officer of a shelter agency, to lead the effort.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2025