The Manitoba Government is starting to discuss what to include in its 2026 budget. This means it is time to remind them to prioritize investments in social housing along with necessary supports.
An adequate supply of social housing with supports will ensure low-income renters can access their right to housing. It will also help the Manitoba government fulfil its commitment to end chronic homelessness within two terms.
While this government is on the right path, bolder investments are needed going forward to prevent us from falling further behind and to ultimately address housing insecurity and homelessness across Manitoba.
In Budget 2024 The Right to Housing Coalition identified the need for the Manitoba government to add 1,000 new social housing units and to invest $150M to maintain the existing social housing supply each year for the next 10 years. The Province has not fully met these annual targets, which means larger annual investments are needed in future budgets to get us back on track to meeting the need by 2034.
The Right to Housing Coalition is asking the Manitoba government to make the following commitments in Budget 2026:
- Add 1,980 rent-geared-to-income social housing units in 2026/27 owned by public, non-profit, and co-op housing providers, as part of a long-term commitment to add 10,000 social housing units by 2034.
- Protect the existing social housing supply by investing $311.2M into a capital maintenance fund and by investing in an operating subsidy fund. This will ensure no social housing units are lost due to disrepair or lack of operating subsidies.
- Invest in funding to ensure social housing tenants can access highly trained addictions, mental health and primary care professionals as well as community support workers to stabilize tenancies and achieve other goals.
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