Sale of city building used as pop-up warming shelter 'devastating' to homeless outreach group

A building that served as a temporary warming shelter this past winter has been put up for sale, despite hopes by the group that operated the space to acquire the property.

The City of Winnipeg posted a request for proposals for the sale of 604 St. Mary's Rd. online Tuesday. 

After a woman was found frozen to death inside a bus shelter this past winter, the city and St. Boniface Street Links opened an overnight shelter to give people living on the streets somewhere to stay warm.

When the city declared the building surplus earlier this year, Street Links founder and executive director Marion Willis hoped her organization would eventually take it over.

Those hopes grew after the city selected the group as one of a number of organizations set to receive a chunk of $1 million to create more 24-7 safe spaces.

With the building up for sale, however, Willis says those hopes have been dashed.

"It's frightening to think that it's the end of July … the cold weather will soon approach and we have no plan," said Willis. 

"Nor will we even have 604 St. Mary's as a cold-weather pop-up shelter this winter. So it kind of goes from bad to worse for us, doesn't it?"

The request for proposals doesn't specify a future use for the building, but it breaks down how the city will evaluate proposals, with 20 per cent based on "Proposed non-profit use which supports community needs within the ward." 

Willis called the loss of the building "devastating," but said she has "a lot of faith in Mayor [Scott] Gillingham and I believe that his desire to end homelessness is a sincere desire."

Gillingham says the city opened the temporary shelter "to address an immediate need" for a warming space, but it was always the city's intention to sell the property. 

He noted the property needs about $1 million in capital upgrades.

"We as a city continue to work with St. Boniface Street Links to find an appropriate and more suitable longer-term location to provide the 24-7 safe space services that we are providing funding for them to offer," Gillingham said in an interview.

A spokesperson for the city is in contact with sheltering organizations to identify needs and plan supports. 

Spokesperson David Driedger said in an email that on June 22, city council directed the public service to pre-designate a single city-owned or controlled building as the primary site for use as a temporary overnight shelter.

A report on potential future pop-up shelter sites is expected in September.