Main Street Project gets exclusive contract for Winnipeg homelessness outreach

The Main Street Project has been awarded an exclusive contract from the City of Winnipeg to do outreach work with people living in encampments.

The city previously funded three organizations — Main Street Project, St. Boniface Street Links and Resource Assistance for Youth — for the work. Now, all calls about encampments will be forwarded to Main Street Project. 

The non-profit will take the lead on helping to implement the provincial homelessness strategy, which focuses on moving people out of camps and into housing.

The contract provides $275,000 for July 1 to Dec. 31, with the possibility of extensions for two years, with $550,000 available in each year.

In an interview Thursday, Main Street Project executive director Jamil Mahmood said the organization is one of the few with the capacity to do 24/7 citywide homelessness outreach.

"The amount of money in the award isn't enough to do that, and so we're fortunate we have partnership funding from End Homelessness Winnipeg … that allows us to leverage other money to put a full outreach team on the road," Mahmood said.

The new contract comes six weeks after people in Point Douglas raised concerns after a team of Main Street Project outreach workers was seen helping set up an encampment in the area. 

On May 20, a Selkirk Avenue resident recorded a video of workers carrying supplies down to the riverbank.

Several Point Douglas residents who spoke to CBC News said they're not happy that Main Street Project was awarded the new contract.

Province, city clarified 'other options': MSP

Speaking to CBC News about the incident for the first time, Mahmood said police officers asked their outreach workers to help move the people in the camp over fears about riverbank flooding, but no housing options were immediately available.

"[Firefighters] may deem that because of life safety issues, [a] camp needs to be moved or dismantled," he said. "Ideally, we have places to house people from those places, but that's not always the case."

Mahmood said Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham and Manitoba Housing Minister Bernadette Smith spoke to him about the May incident, and explained there are other options when safety concerns force camps to move.

"I think what's different now, and what was clarified in the [provincial] Your Way Home strategy — and thanks to the mayor and the minister for clarifying that — is that now they're going to provide more resources," Mahmood said.

The provincial homelessness strategy allows for "flex funding" for temporary accommodations in emergencies.

"So we have other options, versus just moving encampments from one location to another."

Gillingham has previously said anyone doing outreach work for the city must be "fully committed" to the province's strategy — a point he says he made in meetings with Main Street Project.

"And they're committed to the Your Way Home strategy," Gillingham said in an interview Thursday. "Nothing's moving fast enough for anybody, I don't think. We need to see more progress faster, but everybody's working toward that end."

'Short-sighted' decision: Street Links

As part of its application for the contract, Main Street Project committed to partnering with Resource Assistance for Youth, or RAY, as a subcontractor, handling calls regarding homeless youth. 

As for St. Boniface Street Links, Mahmood says he hopes there will be opportunities to partner with the other organization, which responds to calls about encampments on the east side of the Red River.

Street Links executive director Marion Willis, however, isn't sure the two groups can work together.

"We have a different philosophy than Main Street Project," Willis said.

Her organization emphasizes moving people into housing first, she said, whereas Main Street Project prefers a "rights-based approach" that works with people "where they're at."

She called the city's decision "short-sighted," and said officials didn't consult with people in the area about the impact the loss of funding to Street Links would have.

Mahmood disputes the idea the two groups have different philosophies.

"Housing first is meeting people where they're at, right?" he said. 

"I think there's maybe a slight difference in approach. There's a difference obviously in how each organization functions, but we've always been there to support folks, and our goal has always been to house folks."

In an emailed statement, Housing Minister Smith said Main Street Project is "working in alignment" with the province's strategy.

A City of Winnipeg spokesperson told CBC News in an email the contract was awarded through a competitive process, and Main Street Project's proposal received the highest score.