Winnipeg’s mayor has appointed a new advisor to help support some of the city’s most vulnerable.
Scott Gillingham announced Friday that Jarred Baker will serve as Winnipeg’s senior advisor on homelessness, beginning June 5.
The mayor said Baker has more than 15 years of experience in social services.
“He has great relationships and established relationships with many of the front-line service providers already,” Gillingham told 680 CJOB’s The Start.
“He’s got great connections to many of the Indigenous organizations — most recently, he was executive director of Onashowewin, a restorative justice organization. He’s also worked with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Ka Ni Kanichihk, and the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre.”
Baker has also served on the board of End Homelessness Winnipeg and on the advisory council for the Downtown Community Safety Partnership.
Gillingham said the advisor’s role — something he campaigned on in his successful bid for the mayor’s office last fall — will be to serve as a liaison between city hall and the front-line organizations working with the city’s homeless community.
“We have to make sure that at the end of the day, individuals struggling on our streets get the help that they need, into housing with the supports that they need,” the mayor said.
“So Jared will work hard to coordinate all this work with the agencies that are involved.”