The West Central Women’s Resource Centre in Winnipeg is making a difference by helping women find and maintain stable housing. The organization offers housing programs for both lower and higher-acuity clients, along with an outreach program for people experiencing homelessness. The organization helped prevent 163 evictions in 2023 and 113 in 2024.
West Central provides housing programs for clients with varying levels of need and an outreach program to connect with people experiencing homelessness. Outreach workers visit encampments across the city, offering hot coffee, soup, harm reduction supplies, and warm clothes. These visits can lead to housing by addressing basic needs, such as obtaining ID or health cards. The organization aims to maintain contact and stability for individuals, making it easier to transition to housing.
The support workers at the West Central Women’s Resource Centre help ensure successful long-term transitions despite the challenges that arise even after individuals secure housing. The HOMES (Housing Options, Mentorship, and Economic Security) program supports those at risk of eviction or facing landlord conflicts, connecting them to benefits like income assistance or Old Age Security and helping them find suitable housing. For individuals experiencing homelessness, the centre’s More than Four Walls program provides intensive case management, with workers assisting up to 18 clients each, addressing their unique needs.
Caseworker Janis Ducharme assists clients by arranging benefits and securing homes through Manitoba Housing or the private market. Additionally, she supports clients in achieving goals like finding work, pursuing education, or reconnecting with family. Her role includes driving participants to treatment or mental health appointments, mediating with landlords, and teaching tenants how to maintain leases, care for their homes, and respect neighbours. Regular home visits are a key part of her work.
This nonprofit organization is proving successful by helping people find safe homes and avoid evictions. Its program, More than Four Walls, supports individuals who meet the federal definition of chronically homeless and is part of the government’s housing first strategy.
