Homelessness conference starts in Winnipeg amid homicides

A national conference on homelessness is bringing experts to Winnipeg, following the homicides of three vulnerable men, by a man police say himself had no fixed address.

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The 47th National Congress on Housing and Homelessness begins Tuesday and runs until May 1 at the Radisson Hotel in the city's downtown. The conference is focused on finding solutions for a lack of affordable housing across Canada, and discussions about how to keep vulnerable people safe. 

 "Homelessness is a completely preventable situation," said Jody Ciufo, executive director of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Corporation (CHRA).

She says people don't choose to live on the streets. 

"We know how we can solve it, by providing more affordable housing. It's a stark reminder of how fragile people are," she said. 

The issue of homelessness in Winnipeg has been thrust into the headlines by the killing of three men who lived on the streets. Two were discovered in a downtown back alley on Saturday. The third was killed April 10. 

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John Paul Ostamas, 39, has been charged in connection with the killings.

"It's horrible, and it's something that also makes me feel very ashamed in a sense that in a country like this—that you have people that can't be safely and affordably housed," Ciufo said. 

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Gary Gould, from Skigin-Elnoog Housing Corperation says the attacks don't surprise him. 

"I've been involved for 40 years so this is not the first occasion I've heard about aboriginal homeless people being, you know, attacked," Gould said. 

Police have said one of the victims was homeless, while the other was vulnerable and spent a lot of time on the streets. The third man who died after being assaulted and was found in a bus shelter, also spent time on the street.

​The CHRA says operating agreements with the Federal government for social housing are ending across Canada, and that means funding will gradually end too, going from about 1.7 billion to nothing by 2040.

That means 365,000 low income families would be put at risk of going homeless.

The government says the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation agreed to provide mortgage subsidies for long-term 25-50 year agreements, and that they're maturing over the next 24 years. 

Also, in July the Governments of Canada and Manitoba had announced a joint investment of an additional $104-million over five years to help create more affordable housing for individuals and families across the province.

"The people that live in them could be at risk of homelessness or certainly more precarious living due to increased rent or having to sell the housing altogether," Ciufo said. 

Advocates are also calling on Canadians to make housing and homelessness a priority in the upcoming federal election.