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Local heroes open 21 affordable housing units for 2SLGBTQ+ community

 The story of Westminster Housing Society (WHS) officially opening its new 21-unit apartment block in partnership with Rainbow Resource Centre at Broadway and Good Street is a story of neighbourhood heroes.

  As a member of WHS’s board, I have a strong bias, but that is offset by the inside look that I have had as a small team of volunteers have “sweated blood” in the last 3 ½ years to create affordable housing for 21 seniors in the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

  “Sweating blood” is the expression used by Greg McPherson, longtime community activist (and musician) and now working in the City of Winnipeg’s housing department. It was Greg, in his former capacity as Executive Director of West Broadway Community Organization, who launched the dream by bringing together Westminster Housing with Rainbow Resource Centre to apply for funds under the federal Rapid Housing Initiative.

  Developing the concept and satisfying endless paperwork requirements took a year, but the $5 million in funding was approved in the fall of 2021. 

  But it would be another year –cobbling together partnerships, funding, design work, inter-government meetings, endless correspondence– before construction began in October, 2022. Most of this “cobbling together” was done on volunteer time by Westminster’s chair, Mary Agnes Welch, and board member, Tom Janzen, who runs his own urban consulting firm, CVLNS.

  There is immense detail in any construction project, including, in this case, details around legal land and lease arrangements as Rainbow Resource Centre purchased the large lot that contains both historic Wilson House and the new apartment. 

  Integral to the actual design of the 21-unit apartment and later the construction process, were architect Harry Haid and treasurer Karl Falk, who provide development advice to many non-profit housing groups through their firm, Tandem Coop After doing initial work on the apartment, Haid turned over the final design to Paige Lloyd, with ARCCADD Architecture Inc.

    Then the two years of construction. There were inevitable delays, increased construction costs, searches for more funding, a life-saving funding arrangement with End Homelessness Winnipeg, and much more

  Both Mary Agnes and Tom remember many weeks where they worked 15-20 hours on the project outside of their regular jobs. In the end, the building is nearly complete (problems with the siding are being corrected); costs have risen by close to an additional $2.5 million; but Westminster was able to hold a grand opening on October 26 of the new building, officially named “Place of Pride.”

  Reps from all levels of government, including the provincial minister responsible for housing, Bernadette Smith, made speeches. Several tenants attended and talked in small groups about the many advantages of the new building: the bright airy rooms; the ability to form friendships with their neighbours; the great advantage of having supports next door in Rainbow Resource Centre. Many of the speeches lauded Westminster for the beauty of the housing, but focused on the future stages of the project in which Rainbow Resource Centre is constructing connections between the two buildings and offering extensive services on the ground floor for all ages. The finished dream is a Place of Pride campus that, not only provides safe affordable housing for seniors, but welcomes all ages to supports and activities for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Mary Agnes Welch (right) with Place of Pride tenants (l to r) Glen Martin, Ethan Belcourt, and Samantha Smith.

  The Place of Pride apartment block and its still-in-creation campus are a great addition to the West Broadway community. Present WHS board chair, Brian Pincott, welcomed tenants to the neighbourhood and is excited about Rainbow’s plan for their homes to be part of an integrated campus providing services for all.

  “But as we mark this opening today, we have to recognize how much more needs to be accomplished in affordable housing,” he said. 

  “We’ve been able to accomplish this because of the devoted work of volunteers who have literally worked their tails off over the last 3 ½ years. But we need so much more,” he said, quoting a report for the Manitoba Non Profit Housing Association which calls for 750 new units of affordable housing each year for the next ten years.

  Greg McPherson, who began midwifing these 21 units 3 ½ years ago, agreed that the non-profit housing sector is limited in its ability to provide what society needs. “I have so much respect for these volunteers,” he said. “And I remember my own days as ED of a non-profit that was providing services. The level of work that’s required is immense. I just about killed myself. We have to come up with better solutions for housing than putting it all on the shoulders of these heroes.”

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