MNPHA is welcoming a new Associate member to our Association! March of Dimes is a national charity creating real change for people living with disabilities across Canada, and we look forward to working with the organization's Manitoba branch.
There are a number of ways joining MNPHA can benefit your organization, not least of which is access to the members-only newsletter, which contains updates about funding, exclusive events, and other opportunities. MNPHA members have their voices heard by elected officials, giving them the opportunity to shape the non-profit housing sector from the inside out. If you'd like to learn more about joining MNPHA head to our website or contact us directly, we are always happy to hear from you!
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Save the Dates!
MNPHA's Annual Building Partnerships conference and Annual General Meeting will be taking place this year on September 26 and 27, so mark the days in your calendar and keep an eye on our newsletter for more details!
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2022 Building Partnerships Conference - Keynote Announcement: Dr. Marcia Anderson
The upcoming Building Partnerships Conference will be held on September 26 and 27 this year. We are so looking forward to gathering in person, and are thrilled to welcome Dr. Marcia Anderson as one of our keynote speakers.
Marcia Anderson, MD, is Cree-Anishinaabe and grew up in the North End of Winnipeg. She has family roots in the Norway House Cree Nation and Peguis First Nation in Manitoba. She graduated with her MD from the University of Manitoba in 2002, and joined the departments of community health sciences and internal medicine at the University of Manitoba August 2007, and in September of 2011 became the head of the Section of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Health.
She is a medical officer of health for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, a past president of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada and past chair of the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress and since 2017 has served as executive director, Indigenous academic affairs, Ongomiizwin-Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing. In 2015, following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s final reports, Dr. Anderson led the faculty-wide workshop and the subsequent creation of five working groups to develop the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ Reconciliation Action Plan.
Throughout her career Dr. Anderson has advocated for a more robust curriculum in Indigenous health. She was recognized for her efforts in 2011 with a National Aboriginal Achievement Award (now known as the Indspire Awards) and was named as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2018 by Women’s Executive Network.
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Housing Supports Initiative Profile: Winkler Central Station
The Housing Supports Initiative, a $2.56m program funded by the Government of Manitoba and administered by MNPHA, is currently funding 19 unique projects that expand the capacity of organizations supporting people who are exiting or at risk of homelessness. The Initiative will run for two years, and is projected to improve the housing circumstances of around 450 individuals, and provide eviction prevention support to around 900 individuals. This month we are checking in with the Central Station Community Centre about their HSI project.
Central Station Community Centre is a nonprofit organization in the heart of Winkler that serves the City of Winkler and the rural communities in the RM of Stanley. The organization was established in 2014 and manages housing units, operates a drop-in space, offers a variety of programs, and functions as a hub that can help connect community members that may be marginalized, underprivileged, or low income to the resources they need.
Central Station is using HSI funding to run the Community Action Training program, which focuses on education, engagement, building on individual skills, and supporting personal empowerment. The objective of the program is to create lasting change by empowering individuals that may face inequality and inequity to learn about and develop the tools needed to advocate for themselves. Participants of the program will learn from local experts on issues such as food insecurity, accessing government benefits, conflict resolution, cultural sensitivity, housing rights and the Residential Tenancy Branch, and more.
Central Station Housing Coordinator, Lori Penner, says the program was developed in house, with each aspect of the curriculum “being led by people with lived experience with things from income assistance to immigration to child and family services”. There are a dozen people registered for the next round of training, which consists of 12 different sessions that address life skills and employability while also preparing participants to work in advocacy.
Penner explains that the program is geared to “people who want to access services and those who want to help provide services”, bridging a gap between clients and workers, and ensuring that more people are aware of the variety of community services available in Winkler and the surrounding area. Upon completion of the program, graduates will have the opportunity to work in the advocacy office. After working in the advocacy office for a year they will have developed basic office skills and references will be provided for future employment opportunities.
Central Station’s goal is to run the Community Action Training program twice a year, providing the opportunity for 40-50 participants to complete the training and become active advocates in their neighbourhoods.
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Call for Letters of Interest: MNPHA is seeking new board members!
MNPHA is looking for new members to join our Board of Directors! This is a great opportunity to enter into a leadership role in the non-profit housing sector and gain valuable volunteer experience.
The MNPHA Board of Directors is the governing mind of the organization, and is responsible for approving the Strategic Plan, setting the overall direction of the organization, and financial stewardship. The Board of Directors delegates operational and administrative activities of the Association to the Executive Director. As a board member you would be expected to prepare for and participate in Board meetings, help monitor the performance of the Association, participate in the approval of the annual budget and the review of the Association’s mission, vision, objectives, and strategic plan, among other tasks.
If this opportunity interests you please contact MNPHA's Executive Director, Christina Maes NIno, at [email protected] with a brief letter of interest, or any questions you may have about the role.
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Rent Relief Fund Update
The Rent Relief Fund (RRF) has officially been offering loans for one year. Over the course of the year the program has provided over 500 loans (almost $1,000,000) to protect housing stability for tenants at risk of eviction. These loans have reached tenants in 33 different communities, and almost every neighbourhood in Winnipeg
This month, the team focused on enhancing partnerships and referral relationships with other community organizations and programs. The team began May with a presentation from Manitoba Hydro about repayment options for clients with accounts in arrears. The presentation enabled RRF staff to provide guidance and assistance to participants, while providing Manitoba Hydro with a better understanding of how RRF staff will be helping participants regain services after a disconnection.
The RRF team also attended a presentation from the Canada-Manitoba Housing Benefit program, which is another government funded program providing benefits to eligible tenants needing assistance with their core housing costs. This connection increases the knowledge of staff to refer RRF participants to the Canada-Manitoba Housing Benefit program, which is another tool that can be used to prevent homelessness.
The RRF values these connections within our communities, and looks forward to building more connections in the coming months - if you would like to learn more about the program or meet with the team, contact Monique Brunger, program manager at [email protected]
We encourage all providers of affordable housing to share the Rent Relief Fund’s information with tenants in need of additional support. How can landlords help?:
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Share information with tenants regarding the program. You can print a poster here
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Help them submit their application and required documents. Applying online is the fastest and best way to apply.
- Remind tenants that we need to speak with them to assess their application. If they do not hear from us within a week, it's because we could not reach them by phone or e-mail. They can call us at 431-813-4357
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Rent Relief Fund (RRF) taking part in Community Connections
Community Connections is a space located in the lobby of the Millennium Library where visitors can connect with information and social services to support their basic needs. The space applies anti-oppressive, trauma-informed and harm reduction principles. Visitors can meet with the Library's Community Crisis Workers (CCWs) and connect with community agencies and organizations that also provide services in the space.
The RRF team will be doing outreach at the Community Connections site at the Millenium Library on the following dates:
Tuesday, August 2 (1pm-4pm)
Tuesday, September 6 (1pm-4pm)
Tuesday, October 4 (1pm-4pm)
Download more information here.
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Results from MNPHA's First Annual Housing Day
MNPHA's first ever Housing Day took place on May 5th, and by all accounts was an engaging and productive event! We were joined by Kerri Irvin-Ross, former MLA and Minister of Housing and Community Development, in the morning, who shared advice on meeting with elected officials (be yourself, tell your story, come with a solution), and Councillor Cindy Gilroy in the afternoon, who spoke about the Affordable Housing Now initiative and how to work with municipal governments.
MNPHA members met with members of the Liberal and NDP Caucuses, the Deputy Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, and later with the PC Caucus, to share the successes and challenges of the sector, and to raise issues that matter to Manitoba’s affordable housing community.
Watch the Housing Day Debrief discussion
Watch the discussion with The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and The Honourable Rochelle Squires, Minister of Families and responsible for Accessibility, Francophone Affairs, and the Status of Women
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Five Key Takeaways from Housing Day
- All parties are interested in hearing solutions to housing need presented from the community housing sector, and it will be important for MNPHA to have a solid housing platform to share with them leading into the 2023 election (watch our newsletter for updates on how we will be working with our members to develop this).
- All levels of government are working together and finding ways to develop programs that align, including Winnipeg's Affordable Housing Now program, and the Federal Housing Accelorator Fund and Rapid Housing Initiative, and Manitoba's Rent Assist program and Shared Health funding. This has been evolving since the launch of the National Housing Strategy.
- The Federal Government is looking for ideas and suggestions to make their programs more effective for Manitoba's housing market and needs. Share those with Minister Vandal, and with CMHC.
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The Province is developing a number of strategies including a Plan for Older Manitobans and a Homelessness Strategy which will guide their vision for housing going forward, especially guiding the supports that will be available within housing.
- The Province is balancing achieving a number of priorities at once, which means that there is not an urgent push for devolution of public housing at this time. While the province finds great results from partnerships with non-profits through sponsor management agreements, they are also needing to build new units to achieve the goals of the National Housing Strategy (a 12.4% expansion of social housing), requiring attention and resources to be dedicated to those goals. At the same time, the Province is working with Federal counterparts to plan for and address capital needs with the end of operating agreements.
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Changes to the National Housing Co-Investment Fund
Contribution Only Funding
Organiations that have already partnered and secured funding but require more capital can access the Contribution Only stream to:
- top-up funding
- leverage other funding sources
Indigenous and Northern Housing
CMHC has taken steps to make the application process easier and more accessible to Indigenous and Northern communities. A new landing page and a simplified application portal are now available. Indigenous or Northern housing providers or partners can qualify for a low-interest loan, a forgivable loan or a contribution for a new build, renovation or repair project.
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June 7, 12:00-1:00pm via Zoom, MNPHA Lunch and Learn - City of Winnipeg Affordable Housing Now Program
This free, virtual Lunch and Learn will address the Affordable Housing Now Program, an initiative offered through the City of Winnipeg that supports affordable housing projects in Winnipeg participating in Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) affordable housing programs under the National Housing Strategy.
The program is designed to leverage federal funding programs available to projects that may require support from another level of government. It will provide eligible projects grants to offset construction and permit fees, offer tax increment financing opportunities of up to 80 per cent of municipal incremental tax increases arising from development, and enable access to existing CMHC programs and resources.
Noah Yauk, an urban planner with the City of Winnipeg, and Angela Mathieson, president and CEO at CentreVenture, are joining us to discuss details about the program and answer questions.
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July 26, 9:00am-12:00pm in person workshop in Winnipeg: Harm Reduction and Approaching Challenging Situations involving Substance Use Training
MNPHA has engaged the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network (MHRN) to offer a course tailored to housing professionals about interacting with tenants, and how best to approach challenging situations involving substance use. The course will address internal biases, how to talk to someone who’s using substances, strategies on de-escalation, dealing with behaviour that you don’t understand, and helping people find ways to stay safe when they are exhibiting behaviours that place themselves or others at risk. This session will be held in person from 9am to noon at the Downtown Commons, and includes coffee and a light breakfast.
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The Green Kickstarter Fund is now open for applications
On Earth Day April 22nd, the Community Housing Transformation Centre launched the Green Kickstarter Fund as a time-limited funding offer of small grants up to $10,000 per organization (*$15,000 for groups in the North).
The Fund is available for non-profit housing providers and tenant associations to help expand the sector’s commitment to eco-responsibility. The Fund will also contribute to creating more sustainable communities providing a wealth of benefits, including improved health and wellbeing, enhanced morale, reduced energy costs and cleaner air and water.
Whether you need funding for your community garden initiative, composting system, tree planting scheme or to simply improve your bicycle storage facilities, the Green Kickstarter Fund can give a financial boost to make your project come to life.
The deadline for applications is June 10, 2022.
Awarded projects will be announced on July 15, 2022. For more information and to apply click here.
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