Man living in encampment welcomes Manitoba's homelessness plan, but says breaking cycles will be challenging
Dano Mason, who lives in a Winnipeg encampment, says transition process could be tough for some people
An unhoused man who is spending his fourth winter in a Winnipeg encampment says the provincial government's plan to address homelessness this year is a good idea, but will need to be enacted in an accommodating, compassionate and trauma-informed way if it's to be successful.
After his 27-year-old son died from a drug-related overdose in Vancouver a few years ago, Dano Mason rebuilt his life in an encampment along the bank of the Red River in the South Point Douglas area.
The people there have supported him through his devastating loss and continue to look out for each other, he said — one example of why it might be difficult for those living in tent communities to transition into housing units Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has promised will be available this year.
"I have a whole new family here, and I love them with all my heart," Mason told CBC at his encampment in late December, adding that being outdoors and the act of building shelters has become a therapeutic way to cope with the death of his son.
The now governing NDP promised in the 2023 election campaign to end chronic homelessness within eight years of taking office.
During an interview last month, Kinew said the provincial government plans to go camp-by-camp to help get people into housing, clean up the encampments, and then keep them from popping up again by ensuring people are successful in their new housing.
He wouldn't go into detail about how many units would open up this year, but he said the new homes would be available for people at all stages of the housing process, ranging from basic shelter to social housing, Manitoba Housing and then to the private rental market.
Mason said Kinew's plan "sounds like a good idea," but factors like mental illness or loneliness could prevent people who have lived in encampments from staying in other housing long term.
While Mason describes himself as an optimistic person and thinks he's been a positive influence on others in his camp, he recognizes how challenging it can be for some to break the cycle of homelessness.
"There's such a vast variety of why people are here — you know, a lot of it's trauma, a lot of it's growing up without their family, and CFS [Child and Family Services] was probably trauma too. Addictions haven't helped," Mason said.
When he eventually gets housing, Mason said he wants to support others who are still experiencing homelessness.
"Kindness in any shape or form is needed … because there is a lot of anger and a lot of hurt people out here, myself included," he said, wiping tears from his face.
Mixed reactions
Kinew's plan has received mixed reactions from housing-first advocates and organizations within Manitoba.
Siloam Mission CEO Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud said she's excited more housing will be available for people who need it, but emphasized that the units must adapt to individual needs.
"Often, best practice dictates that it's actually easier to move somebody from an encampment directly into housing, but it has to be housing they choose, with the right supports for them," she said.
"That's because in an encampment, you have a lot of autonomy. You also have all of your belongings, whereas if you have to come to a shelter, there's a schedule [and] there's a routine."
Marion Willis, the executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, said while she applauds the government for taking action on the housing-first model, which her organization has used for years, she's disappointed Street Links hasn't been invited to weigh in on the province's next steps.
Housing first focuses on getting people into shelter and safe before addressing other needs, like securing an income, or getting basics like a health card and ID, Willis said.
But the government's approach will also need "a very significant addictions recovery strategy attached to it," she said.
"We have to have a strategy that leaves absolutely no one behind."
Jeff Karabanow, a social work professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, says it would be impressive if Manitoba can provide safe, healthy and affordable housing for people living in encampments — something he thinks governments haven't prioritized as a human right.
"If it's done in a strategic and intentional way — whereby folks living in encampments have trusted allies that are going to support the transition and help find particular housing and will be there to support the needs — I think it will have a lot of uptake," he said.
There's a lot of nuance around moving unhoused people from encampments, where they may feel safe, into new housing, said Karabanow. Homeless shelters, for example, can be overstimulating or triggering for people with trauma related to violence and addiction.
Many would think, "Wow, you'd rather sleep in a tent in … –20 C weather?" said Karabanow, but "that really speaks, I think, to the dire need for some alternative that is affordable and safe and healthy."
But he also said the voices of people living in encampments must be at the forefront of those discussions.
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With files from Ian Froese and Joseph Ahissou