A combined $9 million was put up by the provincial and federal governments to revitalize old housing units in Winnipeg for newcomers to Canada.
Manitoba Housing will use the $9 million to redevelop existing housing units at 470 Pacific Avenue and 477 Ross Avenue into accommodations for newcomers.
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger and Vice Toews, the federal minister of public safety, announced the funding on Dec. 21.
In a press release issued by the province, Selinger stated that “housing is a fundamental requirement for immigrants beginning a new and successful life in Manitoba.”
$2.7 million of the funding comes from $158 million set aside in Canada’s Economic Action Plan to target housing needs. The other $6.3 million is an investment by the province.
Once the housing had been developed, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM) Inc. would manage the properties.
IRCOM Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides newcomers to Canada with affordable transitional housing for up to three years after their arrival, as well as providing support services, such as after-school programs.
“Safe and affordable housing is the cornerstone for successful integration of all new Canadians. We are pleased to receive the trust and support of the provincial and federal governments [ . . . ],” Dorota Blumczynska, executive director of IRCOM Inc. explained.
Although IRCOM Inc. will be managing the project, Manitoba Housing will own the buildings and undertake all the renovations.
Darrell Jones, CEO of Manitoba Housing, explained that the major amount of work involved was converting studio units originally developed to meet the needs of seniors into accommodations for newcomers.
This will boost the capacity of the building from about 180 to 275 people once all the reconfigurations are finished.
Jones explained that in this respect this project was very unique because historically new housing was built, or existing buildings were renovated, but none of the previous projects involved the repurposing of a building.
Jones said that there was certainly a recognition within the government that there is a strong demand for more housing for immigrant households, which initiated newcomer housing projects.
“The sponsorship program has been very, very successful. We continue to see new immigrants coming into Manitoba, which is very positive for the economy.
We are going to have additional pressure for housing, and so we undertake these initiatives to address that pressure,” said Jones.
Jones feels that projects such as this do more then just provide housing, because they extend the life of the building and bring the building up to code.
“It brings increased vitality and so forth to the neighbourhood and the building. It acts as an economic stimulus. It helps create jobs. When we look at creating good housing of this nature, there are all kinds of benefits,” says Jones.
Jones also points out that from a social perspective good housing cuts down on social issues like crime.
“A lot of the things start at the home, and if you’ve got a good home base, it’s going to have a lot of spinoffs,” said Jones.
