We are a class of grade 6 students in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We have noticed that there are many unhoused individuals in our community. We believe that everyone in Canada deserves a safe place to live. Though hunger and lack of shelter are barriers, homelessness is also often an issue of broken hearts. It can be related to trauma and mental health. We believe the government has a responsibility of helping to keep our community members safe and healthy, not just in Winnipeg, but across Canada.

The Issue

Based on our research, approximately 235,000 people are unhoused each year in Canada (1). Additionally, about 15% of Canadians have experienced housing insecurity at some point in their lives (2). Towards the end of the pandemic, since so many jobs were lost, housing insecurity went up by 38% (3). Moreover, people aged 25 to 49, the working population, are the most likely to become unhoused for the first time (4). We believe the government of Canada should immediately take action on the following priorities:

- Allocating more money to organizations that support unhoused individuals
- Ending or increasing income cutoffs for government assistance programs
- Increasing funding to affordable housing initiatives
- Working with provincial governments to support local action plans

This is an issue that we should not give up on. We need to work together to make a difference. Please consider signing this petition if you believe that everyone deserves a safe place to live.

Sincerely,

The students of room 313
Laura Secord School

1- https://homelesshub.ca/resource/state-homelessness-canada-2016/

2- https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2022001/article/00002-eng.htm

3- https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/homelessness-sans-abri/reports-rapports/pit-counts-dp-2020-2022-results-resultats-eng.html

4- https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/homelessness-sans-abri/reports-rapports/youth-homelessness-2024-itinerance-jeunes-eng.html