Manitoba boosts funding for Winnipeg’s Main Street Project amid coronavirus

The province announced additional support for Manitobans relying on social services during the pandemic Tuesday, including extra funding for COVID-19 isolation units at Winnipeg’s Main Street Project.

Manitoba’s Families Minister Rochelle Squires said her government is providing an additional $468,000 to the Winnipeg homeless shelter.

“The pandemic has had a significant impact on individuals and families experiencing homelessness,” said Squires in a release.

“In recent months, this site has operated at 80 to 100 per cent capacity. The new, additional provincial funding will help Main Street Project respond to this demand, which ultimately helps to protect all Manitobans from the spread of COVID-19.”

0:37 Coronavirus: Three new COVID-19 deaths in Manitoba, 89 new cases

The funding comes on top of $1.6 million the province has already provided Main Street Project to operate, Squires said.

Squires said the province is also providing $335,000 to two community agencies — Made with Love and Sscope — which prepare and deliver meals to low-income Manitobans who do not have access to kitchen facilities and are self-isolating because of COVID-19.

Squires also gave an update on a pair of training and recruitment initiatives launched in November to support agencies serving Manitobans with disabilities.

She said nearly 2,000 people have registered with Manitoba Possible’s online ‘envoyy’ platform, which works to connect agencies with those seeking jobs, and 150 people have enrolled for a free training program on disability support work offered through a partnership between Red River College and the province.

Earlier in the day Tuesday health officials announced 83 new infections of the virus, the lowest list of daily new cases Manitoba has seen since mid-October.

Since March, 832 Manitobans with COVID-19 have died and 29,733 people have contracted the virus, according to provincial health data.

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.

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