with St Boniface Street Links
A path out of homelessness
We have so many great community groups that are doing amazing things helping people in our city and I want to highlight them over time. I as so grateful for their work caring for people who are not is a position to care for themselves.
Street links is an organization who I have really gotten to know. We had a rocky start because of all the misinformation I had on the work they are doing. Marion the founder of Street links was offering to house people from my encampments that where I was not able to get housed although I was really trying.
When we sat down to talk and I was talking about my fears with her organization and she was out to prove me wrong and I am so glad she did. I have followed her for over two years now. I spend so much time watching her house people, where they live. The types of supports her team is having to provide. I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet so many wonderful people who at the start of my journey with them where completed different people that were homeless and was in the devastation of their addiction. They are completely different then they are now. The stories I have heard has both shocked
me and overwelled me at times. There bravery and honesty has forever be a huge part of my learning on addiction. The ability of the human spirit amazes me to this day and want to share with you some of their stories. So, I will link and share video so you can watch and learn along with me. Street Links is a grassroots organization in Winnipeg dedicated to ending homelessness, reducing poverty, supporting addiction recovery, and promoting crime prevention through social development. This small organization does that all.
The cornerstone of their efforts is Morberg House, a transitional residence offering an open-ended stay for individuals recovering from addiction. This approach allows residents ample time to address the underlying causes of their addiction, with stays averaging between four to six months. During this period, residents receive comprehensive support from a dedicated team that includes psychiatric nursing, social work, occupational therapy, and peer support. The focus is on treating addiction as a mental health issue, helping individuals confront and heal from complex trauma. They help them deal with some of the issues that are holding them down like crimes that where committed because of the addiction and circumstances.
Many judges are willing to release people into street links care because they know they are getting support to not go back into the situations that led them a stray. What started out as Morberg house has been added to. They run shelter, and have built partnership with landlords that are now providing them space in their building for staff support to help people with daily needs and management of their addiction. They have also started working with an indigenous security company for times when staff are not on site to ensure that everyone is safety. The security company is also passionate and support the work street links is doing so they have a caring approach to security. This is critical for me because in our community we had a landlord that organizations even street links
where housing people and there was no support or addiction management that becomes unsafe an inhabitable for people living in the building or around them. This is where governments need to fund organization to be in these buildings to provide supports. This model could be used with other organizations as well. They would just require the funding for staff. There is lots of talk about not enough housing however, what we have is no one wanting to rent to people who are struggling with addictions. So, deal with the addictions and get the supports in place while people are recovering in buildings and you would have more landlords open to renting. Marion has said there is the housing out
their she has found it. But you need great landlords and supports to make in successful and that where governments need to come in. You can build all the housing there is but if there is not treatment for addiction or supports when in recovery this will not work.
Street links team assists in connecting people to income supports, housing, and treatment programs. By including members with lived experiences, the team effectively builds trust and provides meaningful interventions aimed at reducing drug-related behaviors and facilitating access to detox and treatment services. With these supports people are now able to make coherent decisions for themselves when in they are not in their right minds their focus is not on making informed or positive decisions and they need people willing to help them with that. That is where are community organizations that are out their making a connection can be doing. Everyone I have talked to that has is dealing with their
addictions. Have said that they required people to believe in them that they deserve better, while they were using they would have continued in the encampment environment. They indicated that it was their addictions that have kept them their and needed people to love them enough to intervene. That have totally changed my mind on encampments. Most of the people I have talked to are indigenous although I have also gotten to see many people from all background and walks of life that find themselves homeless.
The development a new housing model that works with landlords. not only benefits the residents but also appeals to landlords, as each tenant is backed by a comprehensive support system. I have been inside many of these buildings and houses I saw firsthand how clean and well-kept they are. I got to meet the teams to are helping to manage them. Where they are placed depends on where they are at in their personal journey. Watching people on their journey has been an amazing journey for me and want to thank the Street Links team and the many people that had the courage to share there story.
