Ending Homelessness Together 2025 Breakout Session Descriptions
Click below to jump to a specific date and time:
Monday, December 1st 11:45am- 12:30pm
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Denise Cook, Kim McPherson and Sandra L. DeLaronde from Giganawenimaanaanig
Location: Ambassador 4
Session Description: TBD
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Kirsten Bernas, Lynne Fernandez, Shauna MacKinnon
Location: Ambassador 1-3
Session Description: This session will provide an overview of how The Right to Housing Coalition (RTH) in Manitoba brings together stakeholders to encourage governments at all levels to expand the supply of social housing that responds to diverse demographic, cultural, and geographic needs. It will include a review of the public policy solutions promoted by RTH and how they can be financed. It will also review RTH’s most recent activities, campaigns, successes, and challenges. Participants will gain a better understanding of the role governments can play in expanding social housing, including Indigenous-led housing, and discover opportunities to create new partnerships to organize with others in their community to advocate for social housing as part of a comprehensive approach to ending homelessness.
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Lindsay Enns and Kristin Kennedy
Location: TYC Event Centre
Session Description: To end chronic homelessness in Canada, a dual approach is essential: Housing First support for those in immediate need and Housing Loss Prevention to stop individuals from slipping into homelessness. Understanding root causes informs tailored, person-centered interventions. Without this proactive approach, agencies are constantly putting out fires, expending valuable resources and energy on reactive solutions rather than addressing root causes. A flexible risk mitigation fund provides timely assistance, guided by data analysis to maximize impact. Collaboration with local organizations ensures holistic support. This integrated strategy fosters stability, dignity, and opportunity, addressing both immediate needs and underlying causes of homelessness effectively
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Led by Grandfather Wanbdi Wakita
Location: Ambassador K
Session Description: TBD
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Gerri Pangman
Location: Room L
Session Description: Join Gerri-Lee Pangman in creating a Red Dress Pin to honour and bring awareness to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people (MMIWG2S+). During this hands-on session, participants will make their own red dress pin — a meaningful symbol of remembrance, resistance, and love. While creating, we will share stories, reflections, and conversations about MMIWG2S+, fostering connection and collective healing. All materials will be provided, and no experience in beading or sewing is needed — just an open heart and willingness to learn and create together.
Please note this session is repeated in the afternoon.
Monday, December 1st 1:30pm- 2:30pm
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Lindsay Enns and Kristin Kennedy
Location: TYC Event Centre
Session Description: Building and sustaining strong Housing First teams takes more than good intentions—it requires intentional hiring, thoughtful onboarding, and trauma-informed leadership. In this interactive session, Kristin and Lindsay draw on nearly a decade of experience to share practical tools and peer-driven strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining resilient, values-aligned staff. Topics include structured interviews, onboarding practices, caseload balancing, and supporting staff with lived experience. Participants will reflect on their own leadership styles and leave with actionable strategies to build teams that stay committed—and stay well.
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Kathy Mallett, Lucille Bruce, Joanne Simard Mason, Laura Funk.
Location: Ambassador 4
Session Description: In the fall of 2022, two local Indigenous community leaders formed the Indigenous Seniors Research Committee (ISRC) to study older Indigenous persons’ experiences of aging, housing and supports in Winnipeg. The goal was that the research would be used in advocacy, to amplify older adults’ voices. ISRC members and researchers will present the findings and discuss how the project unfolded over time, including connections made with 48 Indigenous older adults through interviews and discussion-based focus circles. Efforts to support the housing and aging-related needs of Indigenous persons should be Indigenous-led, promote family-centred options, and centre Indigenous values in design, programs and processes, while recognizing diversity among Indigenous older adults. Our findings also call for approaches that extend beyond building more housing to prevent or address the displacement of Indigenous older adults from their families/culture/kin and reduce the harms of medical and institutional approaches to aging.
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Moderated by Justin Quigley featuring Tessa Blaikie-Whitecloud, Shannon Wiebe and Jamie Pfau
Location: Ambassador 1-3
Session Description: Making Affordable Housing Work: Innovating in Concept, Development, and Operating
Getting all the pieces together to develop person-centered affordable housing is complex. Comprehensive teams need to come together to meet the needs of prospective tenants. Concepts must be thoughtfully considered to transition individuals into a stable living situation. And all of this must be done under incredibly tight budgets based on grants with little opportunity to recoup those costs under more traditional returns from residential development.
Join us to hear from three experts in putting these pieces together. In this presentation, you will hear from three panelists who have innovative ideas towards financing affordable housing projects, getting a strong team of partners together, and making projects sustainable.
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by Kyle J. Mason
Location: Ambassador K
Session Description: The spiritual health of Indigenous Peoples is a vital component in a person's life. For generations, Indigenous spirituality and ceremonies were banned, with great harm inflicted on our peoples. Present day now sees many of us regaining our traditional ways and ceremonies, while many still engage with the religions that were brought by the non-Indigenous people. In this session, we will examine all spiritual traditions past and present, while finding a better way forward that allows Indigenous Peoples to grow in our spiritual health, determined by ourselves.
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by Gerri Pangman
Location: Room L
Session Description: Join Gerri-Lee Pangman in creating a Red Dress Pin to honour and bring awareness to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people (MMIWG2S+). During this hands-on session, participants will make their own red dress pin — a meaningful symbol of remembrance, resistance, and love. While creating, we will share stories, reflections, and conversations about MMIWG2S+, fostering connection and collective healing. All materials will be provided, and no experience in beading or sewing is needed — just an open heart and willingness to learn and create together.
Please note this is a repeat of the morning session.
Tuesday, December 2nd 10:45am- 12:15pm
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By Lise Brown and Laura Jackson
Location: Ambassador 4
Session Description: Siloam Mission, Main Street Project, and Momenta Inc. partnered on a year-long research project (funded by the Winnipeg Foundation) to answer a key question: How do we ethically engage with distress? From that work, a training was developed entitled “De-Escalation: Ethically Engaging with Distress”. The training explores how we can show up in ways that are trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and grounded in dignity to reduce harm.
We will share the learnings from this project, and offer components of the curriculum that participants are finding very helpful in their everyday practice, when engaging with distress. We don’t have all the answers, none of us do, but how we show up can make a real difference.
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With Nurse Deanne Garand, Aboriginal Health & Wellness Centre and Caleb Clay and Mel Craitof SunshineHouse.
Location: Ambassador K + Outside in the Parking Lot!
Session Description:
Join us for a tour of two vital mobile services: the Mobile Healthcare and Wellness Clinic and the Mobile Overdose Prevention Site (MOPS). These innovative, community-driven programs deliver accessible healthcare, harm reduction, and wellness support to relatives experiencing homelessness, poverty, and substance use. Learn how their interdisciplinary teams—composed of nurses, crisis counsellors, physicians, peer support workers, and Indigenous social planners—bring compassionate, culturally grounded care directly to encampments, shelters, and neighbourhoods across Winnipeg. The vans will be onsite to walk through. -
By Main Street Project’s Jamil Mahmood (Executive Director), Karen Murison (Director of Community Initiatives) and Tiago Bukowski (Manager Van Outreach)
Location: Ambassador 1-3
Session Description: Since 1972, Main Street Project has been a leader in compassionate street outreach in Winnipeg, guided by the principle of meeting people where they are, without judgment. Operating 24/7 since 2019, MSP continuously adapts to urgent community needs, including fire safety, the toxic drug crisis, and growing encampments. This session shares MSP’s history, approach, and response to Manitoba’s Your Way Home Strategy, which focuses on creating and supporting housing for people living in encampments. In its first six months, this initiative has helped over 75 people transition into safe, stable housing with ongoing wraparound supports to ensure long-term success.
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By Shanlee Scott, Lionel Houston, Erin Stranger, Dr. Polina Anang, Dr. Christen Rachul, Dr. Lindsay Bristow and Scott Turner from Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad Inc.
Location: TYC Event Centre
Session Description: Since 2021, Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad Inc. (Ndinawe) has partnered with the University of Manitoba’s psychiatry training program to support Indigenous youth through Tina’s Safe Haven—a 24/7, barrier-free space offering care and connection without appointments or assessments. Open to all youth, especially those facing homelessness or trauma, Tina’s prioritizes flexibility, trust, and cultural grounding. At its heart is a youth-led council shaped by Community-Based Participatory Research principles, where youth, Elders, helpers, and psychiatry partners share power. This session invites reflection on how respectful, adaptive environments can support healing, leadership, and authentic relationships with youth navigating complex life circumstances.
Tuesday, December 2nd 1:30pm- 2:30pm
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Moderated by Kristie Pearson featuring Robert Lidstone, Monica Ballantyne, Al Wiebe and Delaphine Bittern.
Location: Ambassador 4
Session Description: Centering the perspectives of folks with lived experience of homelessness is essential to improving care and making Winnipeg a place where everyone has a home. Hear first person perspectives, challenges and solutions.
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By Justin Woodcock
Location: Ambassador K
Session Description: This session will explore the realities faced by unhoused Veterans and outline practical strategies for working effectively with this population. Drawing from my experience developing the First Nation Veterans Program at the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, I will explain who is a Veteran, and highlight the barriers that contribute to Veteran homelessness. Participants will learn how to identify Veterans within their communities, understand what resources are available to support them, and how to help Veterans access those supports. The session will also share insights into First Nation-led approaches that restore dignity, purpose, and connection. We’ll end with an open Q&A to exchange ideas and discuss how service providers can collaborate to better support those who served.
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By Leanne Wilton, Mark Courtney, Ciaran August, Lee-Ann Young.
Location: TYC Event Centre
Session Description: This session explores how the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) applies Housing First principles through its three-tiered Housing Support model: Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Intensive Case Management (ICM), and Rapid Rehousing. Rooted in the belief that housing is a basic human right, these programs offer immediate access to safe housing with individualized, holistic support. In partnership with Manitoba Housing, CMHA helps clients access Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) units and culturally appropriate services, including Indigenous-led supports. The session highlights how wrap-around, person-centered approaches grounded in harm reduction and psychosocial rehabilitation promote long-term recovery and housing stability.
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By Mark Fleming and Steve Teekens
Location: Ambassador 1-3
Session Description: End Homelessness Winnipeg’s Community Advisory Board helps shape the direction of our organization, and efforts in other cities in Canada. Hear from local and Ontarion Board Members and learn about the Reaching Home Program.
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Mackenzie (Mack) Long and JoLynne Parenteau
Location: Ambassador 1-3
Session Description: Join Mackenzie (Mack) Long and JoLynn Parenteau (Alberta) for an interactive workshop exploring the Personalized Assistance to Housing (PATH) program and the work of the National Indigenous Homelessness Council (NIHC). This session highlights Indigenous-led, person-centered approaches to housing that prioritize relationship-building, cultural safety, and community collaboration to support individuals in finding and maintaining stable homes.
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With Cassandra Montanino and Cathy Steven from Leading4Impact.
Location: Ambassador K
Session Description: Change is a constant reality for community organizations working to address homelessness - whether it’s shifting funder priorities, increased community needs, or organizational transitions. This interactive session will explore how we respond to change and how cultivating a culture of planning and evaluation can help organizations navigate it more effectively. Participants will reflect on their own experiences, engage in small group discussions, and gain practical tools that support adaptability and learning.
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Levi A. Foy (Manidoogwiiwezens), Feather Wolfe, Helina Zegeye and Crow Hart at Sunshine House.
Location: TYC Event Centre
Session Description: This workshop is designed to provide participants with some practical tools to co-create peer-led housing programs. The panelists present the key ingredients that helped create innovative solutions to addressing Indigenous 2SLGBTQIA+ homelessness in their organization. The key themes in this workshop are centred on the role of lived experience experts in identifying community need, creating and sustaining organizational capacity, defining community advisory circles, integrating social supports, and navigating the realities of housing supply, discrimination, and stigma.
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By Chantel Large and Paige Cairns, Calgary
Location: Ambassador 4
Session Description: The Oral Truthing Ceremony is the primary evaluation method in Miskanawah’s Indigenous Evaluation Framework, using culturally grounded protocols to assess whether services meet the needs of participants. It integrates three domains: Culture, through the Pipe and Oral Truthing Ceremonies; Miskanawah Core Teachings, where stories respond to core teachings; and Story, translating evaluation outcomes into narratives approved by Elders and leadership, which are then used to inform funder reports. This approach blends traditional Indigenous practices with Western evaluation requirements, ensuring culturally meaningful, accountable, and respectful assessment of program impact.
Wednesday, December 3rd 10:15am- 11:45am
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By Zainab Mansaray
Location: Ambassador 4
Session Description:
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By Felicien Rubayita
Location: Ambassador 4
Session Description: Newcomers face the same challenges that other people are facing in Canada(Ex. high cost of living, access to health care, changing technology, natural disasters etc..). However , their background (immigration journey, past trauma) make them more vulnerable. Housing strategies and suggested solutions are not a “one size fit all “but should take into consideration the specific challenges that newcomers face and think of specific solutions to those challenges. I will discuss different categories of newcomers and highlight the different challenges they face that are specific to each group. Then I will explore the key causes of homelessness or risk of it among newcomers in general and the suggested actions to be taken by decision makers to respond to those challenges.
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With End Homelessness Winninpeg
Location: TVC Event Centre
Session Description: An interactive community experience that invites gathering attendees to engage in meaningful dialogue around local data and research findings. Participants will rotate through six data stations to discuss the findings and offer their perspective on how, moving forward, we can all focus our time and resources to end homelessness.
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By Grand Chief Alex McDougall, Elder Laurie Wood Ducharme, Andrew (Andy) Wood, Tanya Dawn McDougall, Tyrone Munroe and Grace McDougall (Moderator).
Location: Ambassador 1-3
Session Description: Indigenous Peoples in Canada are disproportionately impacted by colonial health care systems, housing insufficiency, numerous ongoing inequalities and lack of legislative support. As a result, there is a condemnable lack of comprehensive health care services provided on-reserve, and many Anisininewuk are forced to travel long distances to Winnipeg for health care and social services, often in inclement weather and with inadequate supports. This may eventually result in a permanent relocation to the city or urban centre, or numerous transient migratory cycles. Compounding this serious inconvenience are language barriers, separation from family and social circles, irregular employment and source of income, cultural dissociation, exposure to crimes of urban living, poverty/fund constraints and the ever-impending threat of homelessness and its attendant complications.
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By Ivy Chaske and Dr. Mary Wilson from the Grandmothers’ and Grandfathers’ Council.
Location: Ambassador K
Session Description: How to Learn, How to Listen. Sit with our Elders and embrace their stories and teachings.
Wednesday, December 3rd 12:45pm - 1:45pm
