Homelessness, crime top list of election issues for Winnipeggers, Probe poll suggests

A majority of Winnipeggers place homelessness and poverty among the top issues in this year's civic election, newly released poll results suggest.

At 64 per cent, respondents ranked reducing poverty and homelessness with reducing crime and increasing public safety among the top three issues for the next mayor and council. Road repair came in at 53 per cent.

"I'm not surprised, and I think it was to be expected that these are critically important issues within our city and throughout our province," said Jason Whitford, CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg.

The poll of 622 adults in Winnipeg was conducted by Probe Research, and was included in a larger survey on the civic election in July, but the question on election issues was not released until last week.Homeless people are more vulnerable to crime, Whitford says.

"They don't have a safe place to go, they often have medical issues, mobility issues, mental health issues or substance abuse issues, and … there's added vulnerability to those factors when they don't have … access to a safe place," he said.

People living in the core area (77 per cent) and women (69 per cent) were more likely to rank homelessness and poverty among their top issues, while crime was a higher priority for Winnipeggers over the age of 55 (72 per cent) and residents in the northwest part of the city (73 per cent).

The poll highlights the need for better access to addictions recovery services, says Marion Willis, executive director of St. Boniface Street Links.

"The 28-day treatment programs that exist are absolutely no match for drug addiction," she said.

Many of the issues contributing to homelessness and poverty — housing, health care, addictions, child welfare — fall under provincial or federal responsibility. Nevertheless, advocates for people experiencing homelessness say the City of Winnipeg has tools to help.

They include redirecting some funding going to Winnipeg police — currently $320 million, more than one-quarter of the city's total budget — toward community services that address the underlying causes of poverty and homelessness, says Kate Kehler, executive director of the Social Planning Council.

"For the most part, people would prefer to live lives that are meaningful, that are sustainable, that they are empowered to live and be part of this community," Kehler said. "So that's what we mean by crime prevention through social development."

Each of the advocates CBC News spoke with supports the "housing first" model, which seeks to move people into housing without requiring them to go through detox or recovery programs first.

"We've invested increased funding into creating more housing first units and resources, and it's proven effective," Whitford said.

He would like to see more "deeply affordable" housing projects established on city-owned land, similar to the Village Product, which will see 22 tiny homes constructed near Thunderbird House on Main Street.