Winnipeg Construction X

[zalf]

Transit was my thought, too, but without a couple councillors or WT reps I think that's out. Reno of the old museum space, maybe, or of the attached office space?

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Regarding that site, I'm somewhat surprised that the vacant Sobeys has been empty for a decade now.

I am honestly surprised that with the large Filipino population living near the former Burrows and Keewatin Sobeys that it has not become something like a Seafood City (over the Garden City location) or an additional location for Lucky's.

[davequanbury]

Originally Posted by drew

^ you can't just put homeless people into an apartment or rooming house and expect everything to magically get better. Usually the end result of this is a huge clean up bill for the landlord and the person ends up on the street again.

We need vastly expanded detox centres with beds waiting in recovery/treatment facilities. Only after that should housing even be discussed, otherwise it's just kicking the can down the road, and not very far.

Well, actually the housing first research by Sam Tsemberis in NYC did prove that giving people housing without first imposing sobriety conditions on individuals with severe mental illness led to greater exits from homelessness than the control group.

Them, the mental health commission of Canada did their own study in 5 cities including right here in Winnipeg and they found the same thing. It was called At Home Chez Soi.

It's easy for people to think these homeless people are just trashing stuff (and some are) and that why should we help them before they kick their various habits, but the truth is Housing First is an evidence-based strategy.

Maybe you didn't know that

[Only The Lonely..]

See

Originally Posted by davequanbury

Well, actually the housing first research by Sam Tsemberis in NYC did prove that giving people housing without first imposing sobriety conditions on individuals with severe mental illness led to greater exits from homelessness than the control group.

Them, the mental health commission of Canada did their own study in 5 cities including right here in Winnipeg and they found the same thing. It was called At Home Chez Soi.

It's easy for people to think these homeless people are just trashing stuff (and some are) and that why should we help them before they kick their various habits, but the truth is Housing First is an evidence-based strategy.

Maybe you didn't know that

I remember when my neighbour took a housing first strategy and housed five homeless meth addicts in his garage. His house burnt down within the year, almost took my house with it, and he himself was left to burn alive.

No thank you.

Most of the homeless have unresolved addiction or mental health issues. Hiding them indoors doesn't help.

Supportive / assisted housing is the only way with a commitment to dealing with the problem from the person receiving the help. This means sober living.

The above study likely assumes that people are rational and that having met lower order needs on the Maslow pyramid they will seek meaningful change in their life, but my experience is that these are not rational people. They need help with their recovery and must be invested in their new life which means giving up the drugs as a prerequisite.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

See


The above study likely assumes that people are rational and that having met lower order needs on the Maslow pyramid they will seek meaningful change in their life, but my experience is that these are not rational people. They need help with their recovery and must be invested in their new life which means giving up the drugs as a prerequisite.

I don't think the Tsemberis study made this assumption at all. It does insist on having necessary supports, but doesn't insist on their getting clean and sober first. Here are the principles the Housing First model appears to promote:

Immediate access to housing with no readiness conditions: Residents meet with support teams, but their housing is not contingent upon clinical status

Consumer choice and self-determination: Meaningful housing options are provided, which for most people means independent housing, not congregate compounds. A supportive learning environment supports informed choices to increase self-sustainability.

Recovery orientation: Peer support helps an individual work toward self-defined goals and toward long-term recovery rather than just managing crisis after crisis.

Individualized and person-driven support: The approach is flexible to fit each participant’s needs, pace and goals.

Social and community integration: Team members work with the participant, as well as community members and landlords, to help people understand Housing First, break down myths and support integration.

Here's a link to the entire article:

https://www.streetroots.org/news/202...t-homelessness

[borkborkbork]

Seems like people in this thread are using the label "housing first" to describe very different approaches. This article on the At Home Chez Soi reports the results of a randomized trial of housing first. This was done in 5 Canadian cities including Winnipeg and the participants all had severe mental illness, and a third of them had psychotic disorders. So we're not talking about people who are assumed to be particularly rational.

The outcomes were that more housing-first participants than controls were actually housed. They had better quality of life, and were more likely to report having experienced a positive change in their life course.

They also had an improvement in community functioning, but it was short-lived and didn't extend past 5 months.

In short, it's not a magic wand. At the end of 5 years, only two thirds of housing first recipients were still housed all of the time. But compare that to traditional supports -- in that model, only a third end up housed full time within 5 years.

https://sci-hub.st/10.1177/070674371506001102

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

In short, it's not a magic wand. At the end of 5 years, only two thirds of housing first recipients were still housed all of the time. But compare that to traditional supports -- in that model, only a third end up housed full time within 5 years.

https://sci-hub.st/10.1177/070674371506001102

I don't think any approach is going to be 100% successful, but improving the lives of 2/3 of the participants is a "success". IMO.

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by pspeid

I don't think any approach is going to be 100% successful, but improving the lives of 2/3 of the participants is a "success". IMO.

When you think about the type of people we're talking about (severe mental illness, psychotic disorders, average participant homeless for 5 years) it seems pretty impressive to see an outcome where two thirds are still in stable housing and a similar proportion experience a positive change in their life course and quality of life...

[dmacc]

Looks like the variance notices for the city have changed. This is much better than before. I would have liked them to be bigger and include a couple more images but a win never the less.

https://twitter.com/stateofthecity/s...95050964508736

[esquire]

^ A tiny improvement, but at least it's something.

Has the Union Station announcement been made yet?

[esquire]

Well, here's the news release. It's trumpeting investments made in four heritage stations (Halifax, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Quebec) from 2020-25.

https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...840148997.html

As far as Winnipeg is concerned, it's a little vague on what is yet to come. Accessibility upgrades to the platform but I'm not sure what else. $25 million will be spent in total here but I'm not sure how much of that is still to come. Seems like the announcement is more about what has already happened as opposed to anything that is still to come.

[thebasketballgeek]

I would love if these improvements ever provided new transit infrastructure rather then these renovations for museums people barely even know about let alone visit…

It would be the perfect opportunity to secure a little bit of funding for that planned Stradbrook overpass, or an improved bus terminal on Main, hell maybe an announcement for HFR/HSR to Winnipeg but alas it’s just more nonsense. The liberals are really the masters of bullshitting funds to useless things. Not a fan at all of this announcement.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

I would love if these improvements ever provided new transit infrastructure rather then these renovations for museums people barely even know about let alone visit…

It would be the perfect opportunity to secure a little bit of funding for that planned Stradbrook overpass, or an improved bus terminal on Main, hell maybe an announcement for HFR/HSR to Winnipeg but alas it’s just more nonsense. The liberals are really the masters of bullshitting funds to useless things. Not a fan at all of this announcement.

In fairness you're talking about two separate things. A large part of the trainshed was in pretty bad shape before VIA started working on it. If they continue fixing it up, that will put it in a good position for Winnipeg Transit to make use of it.

We never hear anything about completing the SW BRT line from Harkness station to Graham Avenue. I'm not sure how much of a priority it is at this point, probably because it involves some major expenditures (bridge over Main and the Assiniboine River, building a RT station within Union Station and related expenses, building a ramp from the high line down to Graham Ave).

[BKB]

Originally Posted by esquire

In fairness you're talking about two separate things. A large part of the trainshed was in pretty bad shape before VIA started working on it. If they continue fixing it up, that will put it in a good position for Winnipeg Transit to make use of it.

We never hear anything about completing the SW BRT line from Harkness station to Graham Avenue. I'm not sure how much of a priority it is at this point, probably because it involves some major expenditures (bridge over Main and the Assiniboine River, building a RT station within Union Station and related expenses, building a ramp from the high line down to Graham Ave).

They were working on the areas at the rear of the station yesterday. Small cranes, boom lifts, etc. were on site.

[zalf]

Originally Posted by dmacc

Looks like the variance notices for the city have changed. This is much better than before. I would have liked them to be bigger and include a couple more images but a win never the less.

https://twitter.com/stateofthecity/s...95050964508736

I've had relatives learn of a nearby development, but because they can't parse the legalese description, they imagine the worst thing possible and then for safety, double the awfulness. Pictures might help soothe some of the nimbys at the margin. This is good. I'm not sure why they didn't go full Vancouver with it, but this still an improvement.

[zalf]

Originally Posted by dmacc

Looks like the variance notices for the city have changed. This is much better than before. I would have liked them to be bigger and include a couple more images but a win never the less.

https://twitter.com/stateofthecity/s...95050964508736

Applicant: Number Ten Architectural Group

Sure would be handy if we had some sort of inside source with that company

[bomberjet]

Sounds like all the work at Union Station is either done or in progress (train shed renos).

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by esquire

We never hear anything about completing the SW BRT line from Harkness station to Graham Avenue. I'm not sure how much of a priority it is at this point, probably because it involves some major expenditures (bridge over Main and the Assiniboine River, building a RT station within Union Station and related expenses, building a ramp from the high line down to Graham Ave).

I don't remember exactly where the mayors position was on transit. But we've already got the 2 major road projects announced. If transit is not the next major project (besides NEWPCC stuff), then we know exactly where it fits in terms of priority.

The downtown corridor plan is ready to go to functional design. Allocating money in a similar manner to the 2 road projects would be great press for both levels of government.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by zalf

Applicant: Number Ten Architectural Group

Sure would be handy if we had some sort of inside source with that company

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...&postcount=538

[rkspec]

Originally Posted by Biff

Yes, 7 storeys - 175 units. Should start in Aug.

...no wellness centre though.

This should really spruce up that stretch of Concordia