Brandon transitional housing complex officially opens
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The John Howard Society of Brandon officially opened its new 24-unit transitional housing complex on Monday morning.
The three-storey building on 16th Street North was designed to provide housing and support for men leaving incarceration, requiring a community residential facility or transitioning out of homelessness.
The facility will help people stabilize their lives and reconnect with the community, Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith, who cut the ribbon, told the Sun.
“It’s been a community effort,” Smith said. “It’s helping to transform lives.”
The provincial government contributed $4 million toward the $11-million project, with the City of Brandon and other community partners also contributing to its development, the minister said.
“The province’s role was focused on providing capital funding to help get the facility built,” she said. “That’s our contribution.”
John Howard Society of Brandon executive director Michelle Lemoine said the three groups served by the facility may have different circumstances, but many of their fundamental needs are the same.
“They need to feel safe, they need connection, they need opportunities to build skills, and they need to have a sense of purpose and a path forward,” Lemoine told the Sun after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“If someone is leaving incarceration and doesn’t know where they’re going to safely sleep that night, it’s very difficult to focus on anything else.”
Housing alone does not guarantee someone will avoid reoffending, but it provides a stronger foundation for making different choices, Lemoine said.
The John Howard Society, she said, plans to measure the facility’s success through both data and residents’ experiences.
Lemoine said the goal is not simply to fill the 24 units, but to help contribute to Brandon’s efforts to end chronic homelessness.
“We want people to leave here not just with a roof over their head, but with the skills and confidence to be successful in their next home,” Lemoine said.
She said success should not be measured simply by the number of people who pass through the facility, as residents may stay for different lengths of time depending on their circumstances.
“For some people, that might mean moving into their own permanent housing in Brandon,” she said. “For someone else, it might mean returning to their home community, moving into longer-term transitional or supportive housing, finding employment, reconnecting with family or simply reaching a place where they’re ready for the next step.”
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