End Homelessness Winnipeg now an Indigenous organization

WINNIPEG -- End Homelessness Winnipeg has officially transitioned to become an Indigenous organization.

Lucille Bruce, the organization’s president and CEO, said this means they will work from a “culturally relevant and cultural perspective” to find effective solutions to homelessness.

“We operate from the principles of truth and reconciliation, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and the inclusion of people with lived experience to drive forward the plan,” she said.

Bruce said becoming an Indigenous organization was a natural progression for End Homelessness Winnipeg, which was established in 2015 to lead and implement the city’s 10-year plan to end homelessness.

She notes Indigenous people comprise 70 per cent of the homeless population in Winnipeg and said therefore the organization needs to work directly with Indigenous people to find “long-term solutions that will make a difference from a culturally relevant perspective.”

End Homelessness Winnipeg launched its five-year plan for 2020-2025 Monday at Thunderbird House with specific targets to reduce homelessness in the city.