New funding set to address spread of homelessness in Winnipeg

New funding from the City of Winnipeg and multiple resource centres will look to support those experiencing homelessness in every corner of the city.

An announcement made Thursday will push $50,000 into two warming centres in the West End of Winnipeg to extend hours and open up more space to those in need.

READ MORE: Manitoba’s first homeless LGBTQ shelter space to open Thursday

Youth, women and members of the LGBTQ community will specifically be helped with the money, a group of the population that can fall through the cracks when it comes to support.

“The options are much more limited,” Lorie English of the West Central Women’s Resource Centre said. “This is just a drop in the bucket but it will go a long way.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The options are much more limited," Lorie English of the West Central Women's Resource Centre said. "This is just a drop in the bucket but it will go a long way."

The funding will see 80 new overnight beds, half of which will be located near Ellice Avenue, and half of which will be elsewhere in the West End.

READ MORE: West Broadway panhandlers causing concerns in Winnipeg

The beds will stay open 24 hours a day until the beginning of March to help those outside deal with a snap of extreme cold.

“One thing we know about folks who are experiencing homelessness is that they tend to stick to the neighbourhoods where they have community,” English said, pointing to an increase of those without a place to stay in areas outside the city’s core.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "One thing we know about folks who are experiencing homelessness is that they tend to stick to the neighbourhoods where they have community," English said, pointing to an increase of those without a place to stay in areas outside the city's core.

The 80 beds will help a homeless population that currently only has overnight shelter options downtown.

RELATED: Frigid temperatures challenging for Winnipeg homeless shelters

Siloam Mission, one of those downtown shelters, is at capacity every night.

Their communications manager Luke Thiessen said he’s happy to see western parts of Winnipeg get attention as well.

“There are other places in the city where people are experiencing homelessness and poverty and they have a need there too,” Thiessen said. “It is good to see other areas of the city seeing some attention.”