Winnipeg mayor looks to Houston for inspiration to fight homelessness
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham is traveling to Houston, Texas, on Sunday for a few days to see his homelessness model and see if a similar idea can be used locally.
“Houston, over the last ten years, has come a long way in the fight against homelessness,” Gillingham told 680 CJOB. The beginning. “They did this through something similar to what I requested, that all agencies, city and county in the state all work on one plan.
Gillingham said the city uses a Housing First approach and has been able to house more than 25,000 people over the past decade.
“So whether it’s the provincial government, the City of Winnipeg, our social service agencies, and community providers, we all have to work to the same plan if we’re really going to tackle this problem and make a difference. difference for those struggling with homelessness. ,” he added.
Gillingham said many city agencies are doing a good job, but sometimes things overlap and the city needs a more coordinated approach.
He made an a**logy of the difference between kayaks, the river and everyone in a dragon boat.
“We are kayaks in a river when it comes to addressing homelessness and we need to be everyone in a dragon boat. »
During his mayoral campaign, Gillingham said he would work in partnership with the province to tackle homelessness and addiction, and that he would also dedicate a member of his city team to work specifically on the issues of homeless.
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