“We are thankful for the City’s continued support and recognition of our outreach team’s vital role in the community,” said Jamil Mahmood, Main Street Project executive director. “This funding allows us to remain present where we’re most needed, meeting people where they’re at, making connections, building trust, and opening the door to life-safety, stability, and housing.”
“Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY) is proud to partner with its longtime acquaintance agency Main Street Project (MSP) for 24-hour mobile outreach services,” said Michelle Kowalchuk, Director of Mental Health & Addictions. “RaY’s street outreach team brings years of experience delivering mobile street-level services that connect individuals experiencing homelessness with access to immediate resources and support. Through the Winnipeg Outreach Network, RaY and MSP have a history of collaboration, which has enabled both organizations to fulfill their mandates. Connecting youth to the right services is RaY’s primary objective, and street outreach is integral to this process. In alignment with the provincial homelessness strategy, RaY and MSP will continue this collaboration to house individuals living in encampments and address chronic homelessness.”
In partnership with multiple organizations and City of Winnipeg services, MSP’s mobile outreach team responds to urgent needs across the city, offering support, transportation, wellness checks, and critical connections to shelter and housing services. The team also responds to calls from the general public, 311 requests and supports the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and Winnipeg Police Service with voluntary transports.
Main Street Project is also an important partner in the provincial plan to end chronic homelessness in Manitoba. Since Your Way Home launched in January of this year, Main Street Project has successfully housed 32 individuals from encampments, with 27 in MSP housing. An additional 16 individuals have been supported into housing through partner agencies or other available options.
In a statement provided to media, Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said: “Main Street Project is working in alignment with Your Way Home. I am excited to continue working with them to move people out of tents as we build back the housing the previous government sold off to fully implement Your Way Home. Main Street Project is a key partner of Your Way Home, our strategy to end chronic homelessness in Manitoba. I am pleased to hear that the city awarded outreach funding as part of the city’s commitment to our joint Your Way Home strategy. Main Street Project has helped house over 90% of the people from encampments through the strategy, and they have all successfully maintained housing.”
This investment in mobile outreach demonstrates the City’s commitment to collaborative, compassionate solutions to homelessness. MSP is pleased that the City of Winnipeg has identified the organization as uniquely equipped to provide this type of service. MSP will always advocate for the human rights of those it serves and is committed to working through these challenges with the City when they arise.
Main Street Project’s mobile outreach program also receives funding in part from Reaching Home through End Homelessness Winnipeg.
“End Homelessness Winnipeg congratulates Main Street Project on being named the outreach service provider for the City of Winnipeg,” said Jason Whitford, CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg. “This decision affirms MSP’s deep-rooted commitment to meeting people where they are with care, dignity, and respect. Outreach is more than a service; it is a relational and cultural bridge to safety, housing, and healing. As an Indigenous-led organization, we are proud to co-fund this work alongside the City, supporting community-driven solutions that honour lived experience, uphold the sacredness of life, and reflect the spirit of reconciliation.”
MSP is also grateful to the countless Winnipeggers for their continued support and trust, for standing with us, for believing in our work, and for continuing to support those most in need in our community.
MSP acknowledges the hard work of its outreach teams and all of our staff involved in direct service delivery. They are committed and passionate about supporting people who are struggling to find housing and stability.
MSP looks forward to continuing to work alongside municipal and provincial partners to deliver on the shared vision of the Your Way Home plan, which aims to build a healthier, safer community for all.
Want to learn more about our work? Check out this document that breaks down our programs and services: All About Main Street Project
