Red Road Lodge takes possession of building

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This article was published 10/10/2023 (1090 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A transitional and supportive housing facility for homeless people in downtown Winnipeg has purchased its 137-year-old building, thanks to financial help from a local charity and credit union.

The Jubilee Fund and Assiniboine Credit Union are supporting the Red Road Lodge with a loan package valued at $720,000.

The Jubilee Fund is guaranteeing $120,000.

“Owning the building we have operated provides a significant increase on viability and security for us,” Red Road Lodge Founder and CEO Richard Walls said in a news release. “This decision will reduce costs and ensure critical services remain in the heart of Winnipeg for years to come.”

Located in the former Occidental Hotel at the corner of Main Street and Logan Avenue, the facility has 47 units offering help to homeless people who are in recovery from addictions, suffering from a mental illness or both.

The lodge describes itself as the only dry and safe single-room-occupancy hotel on the “notorious” downtown strip.

It provides life skills and healing and recovery programs, including Fresh Start, Wellbrierty and RE/ACT.

Launched in 2000, the Jubilee Fund is Manitoba’s only charitable ethical investment fund, according to its website. The charity works with non-profits in a bid to reduce poverty in the province.

“In these days when much of the housing crisis is focused on the middle of the market, it is crucial that we do everything we can to ensure transitional housing is not forgotten,” Jubilee Fund executive director Peter Cantelon said in the news release.

The charity and ACU, which has more than 140,000 members, have teamed up several times to support social enterprises with blended financing options.

— Staff