Siloam Mission has a new CEO.
The Winnipeg mainstay — which has provided shelter and support for members of the city’s homeless community since 1987 — announced Thursday that Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud will head up the organization beginning Nov. 15.
Whitecloud comes to Siloam from community charity Just1City, which supports programming for underserved communities in Winnipeg’s core.
With Whitecloud’s hiring come additional commitments for Siloam to improve its relationship with the city’s Indigenous community after a series of consultations.
“Tessa brings a real passion and deep knowledge of our community to Siloam, and we are very excited to welcome her into the role of CEO,” Garth Manness, Siloam’s board chair, said in a statement.
“We have been listening to our community, and are committed to doing better in the future – and we know Tessa is going to be part of that. Her expertise, experience, and love for those we serve will position her well to help move our organization forward.”
Siloam parted ways with its previous CEO and board chair in early 2021 following strong criticism about the organization’s relationship with the Indigenous community.
A social media group calling itself Not My Siloam criticized the Christian organization in 2020, focusing on a lack of cultural and spiritual sensitivity to Indigenous people who use its services.
The organization pledged to improve that relationship and strengthen its connections to the Indigenous community, and said it will be implementing a number of recommendations, including increased Indigenous representation at the executive and staff levels, as well as education for staff and creating culturally relevant programming.
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