WINNIPEG – Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a nearly $30-billion national strategy aimed at ending homelessness across Canada within 10 years, with Winnipeg becoming the first city to receive funding through a major new federal-provincial partnership.
The nationwide initiative, outlined in the federal government’s 2026 budget, combines housing construction, financial assistance and expanded mental health and addictions services to address the growing homelessness crisis.
Carney announced the first phase Friday alongside Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, describing the partnership as a model the federal government hopes to replicate in communities across the country.
The Winnipeg agreement includes more than $1 billion in federal funding to build over 2,000 supportive and transitional homes and establish a new mental health and addictions treatment centre.
“Homelessness is one of the hardest challenges our country faces, and no government can solve it alone,” Carney said.
“With Budget 2026, we are bringing help, housing, and health care together, building on what front-line workers have taught us, to end homelessness within 10 years.”
Across Canada, the strategy includes $10 billion to support construction of approximately 25,000 supportive and transitional homes, with provinces and territories responsible for operating them and providing essential services.
Another $6.5 billion will support community homelessness prevention programs, while $5.5 billion will provide rental assistance to low-income Canadians.
The federal government is also committing $5 billion to facilities combining housing, healthcare and social services, along with $2 billion for mental health and addictions treatment infrastructure.
In Winnipeg, up to $800 million will support new housing, while more than $200 million will help construct the treatment centre.
Kinew welcomed the investment, saying housing must be accompanied by services that help people remain housed.
“There should be no homelessness in a rich country like Canada,” Kinew said.
The federal government says homelessness has nearly doubled since 2018, with approximately 65,000 Canadians experiencing homelessness in 2025.
Carney says the Winnipeg partnership is just the beginning of the national effort, with Ottawa inviting provinces, municipalities and community organizations across Canada to develop similar agreements tailored to local needs.
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