December 21, 1999

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The Manitoba government has launched its Neighbourhoods Alive! program with $419,400 in funding for community-based housing projects and education and training programs that provide alternatives for high-risk youth, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Jean Friesen and Family Services and Housing Minister Tim Sale announced today.

"Neighbourhoods Alive! is about providing communities with the support they need to rebuild neighbourhoods," Friesen said. "We are extremely pleased to be announcing Neighbourhoods Alive!--an important first step in the government’s ongoing initiative to improve housing, create jobs, and increase education and recreation opportunities for Manitoba families."

"Vacant and boarded up buildings are an outward sign of the broader issues that exist within many neighbourhoods," Sale added. "Through consultation with residents and in partnership with community organizations, Neighbourhoods Alive! will offer a tool box of programs that groups can access in order to improve the safety and economic health of their communities."

The first Neighbourhoods Alive! announcement features $419,400 for:

• Alfred Avenue Housing Rehabilitation--$70,000 for the Community Education Development Association’s project to renovate 10 homes on two blocks of Alfred Avenue in north Winnipeg. Construction is underway.

• West Broadway Housing--$200,000 for the demolition of two boarded up houses on Alloway Street and the construction of at least four rental housing units for low income families. Construction is set to begin in the spring. The funding has been reallocated from the provincial portion of the Winnipeg Development Agreement (WDA), a partnership of the federal government, province and city.
• Leadership and Employment Training For Youth--$75,000 for LET Youth which provides pre-employment, employment and leadership training for inner-city youth aged 15-24 as positive alternatives to gangs and other high risk activities. The program is operated by a partnership of the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre of Winnipeg, Rossbrook House, the Winnipeg Native Alliance and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg.
• North YMCA Facility Re-use Study--$25,000 to commission a study of the feasibility of reopening the North Y building as a public recreation and service facility for the neighbourhood. The study would include a consultation with stakeholders and would build on existing work by community groups.
• Youth Opportunity Project--$49,400 to the life-skills development program at Children of the Earth, R.B. Russell and Gordon Bell high schools. Started by the Community Education Development Association (CEDA) as a pilot program in 1997, the project stresses the importance of staying in school and encourages youth to make positive contributions to their neighbourhoods.

Neighbourhoods Alive! will be a long-term, community-based development strategy aimed at providing community groups with the support required to rebuild neighbourhoods in Winnipeg and other Manitoba cities. The Neighbourhoods Alive! Committee includes the ministers of intergovernmental affairs, justice, family services and housing, aboriginal and northern affairs, and education and training.

"We recognize that a comprehensive, long-term strategy is needed for neighbourhoods to overcome years of neglect," Friesen said. "However, we have identified a number of initiatives that can be supported immediately as we begin the process of rebuilding hope through the fulfilment of our election promise."

Sale said Neighbourhoods Alive! builds on the strengths of people and their experiences by working in partnership with the community. Grassroots groups are encouraged to develop proposals for projects to be delivered by local organizations. The areas of focus are employment and training, physical improvements, education and recreation, and safety and crime prevention.

"Consultation with and the participation of neighbourhood residents, community organizations, and the city and federal government are essential to the success of the strategy," Sale said. "Neighbourhoods Alive! is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a program that will be tailored to the needs and priorities as identified by individual neighbourhoods."

Friesen said one example of the government’s willingness to work with communities was the recent passage of Bill 2, the City of Winnipeg Amendment Act, which is designed to decrease the number of neglected or boarded up buildings by reducing delays on property repair orders. Bill 2, which allows the city to transfer such repair orders with the property upon sale, had been identified as a priority by the city and various community groups.

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