A social enterprise
When At Home/Chez Soi was in the planning stages, potential landlords
identified some concerns about housing the mentally ill homeless.
Issues included worries about bedbugs, disturbances and damage to
the suites and homes that would house project participants.
Manitoba Green Retrofit was founded to address these concerns,
according to Lucas Stewart, General Manager of the agency.
Among other things, Manitoba Green Retrofit does a pre-move-in
check, deals with damage during the person's tenancy and fixes the
units after the person has moved out.
"We go into a new unit and take initial photos and have a good
look at its condition," says Stewart. "Sometimes there are a lot of
deficiencies. We want to make sure each unit meets the basics of
safety. We make sure there is a working smoke alarm, working fridge
and stove, and doors that are secure."
Manitoba Green Retrofit does approximately 15 turn-overs a month,
for people who are being moved out. They return the unit to its
original condition, often fixing taps, doors and locks, flooring, windows,
cabinetry, patching and painting. This is in addition to emergency
repairs done while the person is living in a unit. "MGR is a social
enterprise, and we have a mission: poverty reduction. We employ
people from the neighbourhoods we're working in. We provide them
with the skills to do the job, and be employable elsewhere, if they want
to move on," says Stewart.
Manitoba Green Retrofit employs six people full-time plus a few casual
employees, and offers competitive prices, so any property manager
in the city can hire them to fix housing units. "Right now, we're
looking after 170 units in the At Home project," says Stewart, adding
he employs At Home/Chez Soi project participants for various jobs.
Michael Enright, for example, has worked for MGR, cleaning carpets
and helping with a renovation project.
The project also led to the creation of Housing Plus, which provided
each housed participant with an "apartment in a box" - new items like
beds, chairs, coffee makers and bathroom
cleaning supplies. The choice to purchase
new items came about to ensure bed bugs
were not an issue.
Housing Plus hires services such as SSCOPE
and First Nation Sensation to help with
cleaning apartments and moving tenants.
SSCOPE (Self-Starting Creative Opportunities
For People in Employment) is an
employment service for people
with mental health issues. First
Nation Sensation is a new
addition, providing moving
services.
"The beauty of the At
Home project in Winnipeg
is that we have so many
people employed and
trained," says Susan Mulligan,
Manager of Housing Plus. "I
see this as our gift to the city.
Once the project ends, people
will have the skills to continue
helping the homeless."
Back to "A home of their own"

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About Wave
Wave is published six times a year by the Winnipeg Health Region in cooperation with the Winnipeg Free Press. It is available at newsstands, hospitals and clinics throughout Winnipeg, as well as McNally Robinson Books.
Read the March / April 2012 issue of Wave |
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