ManitobaManitoba’s housing minister says the province is on track to get more people into housing after a new street census by End Homeless Winnipeg found an estimated 2,469 people experiencing homelessness in the city — the highest number since the organization began surveying the city’s unhoused population in 2014.Over 2,000 people were experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg as of November: reportArturo Chang · CBC News · Posted: Aug 28, 2025 9:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours agoRhonda Bruce is part of what appears to be a growing number of unhoused people in Winnipeg. An estimated 2,469 people were experiencing homelessness in November, according to a recent survey. (Josh Crabb/CBC)Rhonda Bruce says she feels like she has to start all over every time it rains.”Your clothes are all wet and you have to put it in the garbage,” she said. “Then you get soaked and, you know, your tarp is like on the other side of the tent.”The Poplar River First Nation woman has been living in an encampment along the Assiniboine River for about a month, but this is not the first time she’s experienced homelessness. She said she’s had no luck so far finding a place to stay.”You just gotta keep trying, I guess,” she said.Bruce is not the only one. A new street census by End Homeless Winnipeg found an estimated 2,469 people were experiencing homelessness in the city on Nov. 5 — the highest number since the organization began surveying the city’s unhoused population in 2014.”More people are living without housing than ever before, with Indigenous people, youth, older adults and newcomers disproportionately affected,” said End Homelessness board member Justin Woodcock at a media event for the report’s release Thursday. Preliminary results from the census were released earlier this week.But Housing Minister Bernadette Smith told CBC News at the event the province’s strategy aiming to end chronic homelessness is helping.WATCH | Record-high homeless count in Winnipeg sparks calls for action: Record-high homeless count in Winnipeg sparks calls for action The latest Winnipeg street census identified nearly 2,500 people experiencing homelessness as of last year. During the official release of the results on Thursday, the provincial minister in charge of housing responded to calls to help get people off the streets. “We’re right on track to where we want to be,” she said.Nearly two-thirds of the people End Homelessness surveyed for the census met the definition of chronic homelessness — being unhoused for more than 18 months in the three years before the survey.Meanwhile, the Manitoba government said Thursday it’s been able to get 77 out of the estimated 700 Manitobans living in encampments into housing since the launch of the province’s Your Way Home strategy in May.”They’re all maintaining their housing. They’re all successfully housed,” Smith said.The province said as of March 31, a total of 16 housing units had been completed since the NDP formed government.Housing Minister Bernadette Smith said the government is making progress with its strategy aiming to end chronic homelessness by 2031. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)Another 155 units were also in the process of being built, the province said. But construction hadn’t started yet for 521 units — 75 per cent of the total.The province said it also acquired 300 new transitional housing units for people exiting encampments.”It’s not just about housing people, but it’s about ensuring that people have the supports that they need and that there’s a continuum,” Smith said.”So yes, there’s affordable housing, but there’s also other housing coming online,” she said, adding that as people can afford to move into market housing, that will also be available.End Homelessness Winnipeg said the extent of homelessness in the city seems consistent with similar jurisdictions, though estimates are not directly comparable. The latest report also warned the actual unhoused population in the city is likely substantially higher than its estimates.Back by the Assiniboine River, Bruce said she hopes to rent out a room at a downtown hotel soon, but that she still doesn’t know if that will work out.She said it’s hard to find a place to live sometimes.With files from Josh Crabb
Housing strategy ‘right on track,’ Manitoba minister says amid record-high homelessness count
