AMC Responds to Record Homelessness in Winnipeg

Press Release

August 27, 2025

Treaty One Territory, Winnipeg, MB – Acting Grand Chief Heidi Cook of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) issues the following statement in response to the “Street Census 2024” report released by End Homelessness Winnipeg, which found a record 2,469 people unhoused in the city:

“The Street Census 2024 figures tell a very sad story of dispossession, displacement, and disconnection. Behind each number is a person, a family, and a story of being failed by governments and systems that continue to deny First Nations people the basic human right to safe and adequate housing.

The census confirmed that 78% of people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg are Indigenous. This is not just a housing crisis – it is the direct result of generations of colonial policies that have dispossessed First Nations of our lands and denied us our Treaty right to live in dignity.

We cannot separate the crisis of homelessness in Winnipeg from the lack of adequate housing and supports on First Nations. Since the pandemic, on-reserve homelessness has become far more visible, as people were no longer able to couch-surf or rely on extended family for temporary shelter. Many have had no choice but to leave their Nations because there is simply nowhere else to go.

The federal and provincial governments must work directly with First Nations leadership to address this crisis – not only in the city but also on-reserve. Investments in shelters, transitional housing, and permanent homes must flow directly to First Nations governments so that our people have real options for safety and stability.

This crisis underscores the urgency of implementing the direction already set by the AMC Executive Council of Chiefs. In March 2025, the Chiefs passed a motion directing AMC to work with Manitoba to ensure a First Nations-specific component to the Your Way Home plan and to establish a Joint Working Group co-led by First Nations. That motion also called for a procurement strategy that prioritizes First Nations-led construction and management of homes and social housing. The government has yet to act on this direction, and the record numbers in the Street Census show why it cannot wait any longer.

The AMC calls on Canada and Manitoba to immediately sit down with First Nations leadership to co-develop solutions grounded in our rights, our Treaty relationship, and the knowledge that every person deserves a home both on and off reserve. First Nations simply cannot keep paying the price with their lives and dignity just to balance budgets and watch as governments prioritize putting resources elsewhere.”

For more information, please contact:

Communications Team
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Email:  media@manitobachiefs.com

IHT5