Seniors should never be homeless

There is much attention paid to helping those who become homeless, but all too little attention given to preventing homelessness in the first place.

About one quarter of all the people experiencing homelessness are seniors, according to the most recent End Homelessness Winnipeg report. This represents a fundamental failure of our province to prevent homelessness.

Ending homelessness where it has become chronic should not be considered the end point in addressing homelessness. It is like trying to solve the problem of water on your kitchen floor by mopping it up, without considering the importance of turning off the tap so that water does not continue flowing over the edge of the sink.

Preventing homelessness in seniors is achievable. We have many resources and many organizations which support seniors, but they are fragmented, poorly co-ordinated, inadequately, funded in some cases, and have not sufficiently focused their efforts on preventing homelessness in seniors. Too many seniors are falling through the cracks.

Seniors who become homeless have their own particular lived experiences. Some of the reasons are financial (owing to increased costs of living, the loss of a partner, sometimes the result of the COVID pandemic, and scams resulting in loss of savings). Difficulties in accessing help while navigating options for help to address financial or other issues or in finding affordable, supported housing often contribute to seniors becoming homeless. One result has been seniors living in cars when they lose their homes.

It is a positive that we now have a provincial seniors’ advocate in Manitoba. But Leigh Anne Caron’s role is to provide recommendations for systemic changes, not helping individual seniors navigate the difficulties they face.

We need a dedicated help line for seniors at risk of becoming homeless. We need at least one seniors’ organization in each region of Winnipeg and centres outside of Winnipeg to focus solely on helping seniors at risk of becoming homeless. We need these organizations to be connected to the help line and to each other. They need to be able to share experiences and work together to enable seniors to have their issues addressed. Experience at St. Boniface Street Links shows that helping seniors navigate in the digital world is vital. As Street Links CEO Marion Willis has pointed out, homelessness is now city-wide. Many seniors are afraid of ending up in a shelter in the centre of Winnipeg and need support in the areas of Winnipeg or Manitoba they are familiar with. Treating seniors with dignity is essential.

Preventing homelessness before it happens is more effective and more cost-effective than waiting until after a person becomes homeless. For more discussion and more detailed recommendations, a report on preventing homelessness in seniors has been prepared by advocate Nancy Chippendale and me, and it has been released by Willard Reaves, leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party. It is available at jongerrard.ca/reports.

Municipal councillors, First Nation communities and their leaders need to work together with provincial and federal governments in a dedicated effort, with a clear goal of preventing homelessness in seniors. It can be done. But it needs a degree of collaboration and integration of resources far beyond what is now present.

With winter approaching, there is an urgent need to act now. Let us work together to prevent what is unacceptable. Our seniors have been important to building our province. We need to help them now, when they need it. Seniors should not be homeless in Manitoba.

Jon Gerrard is the former MLA for River Heights and former leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party.