Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs

• Main Page
• Message from the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Family Services and Housing
• ALL Aboard Report (PDF)
• ALL Aboard News Release
• Housing and Supports for People with Mental Illness (PDF)
• OpeningDOORS: Manitoba's Commitment to Persons with Disabilities (PDF)
• Contacts
• HOMEWorks! Homeless Strategy with a Focus on Mental Health Housing
  • Homeless Shelters
  • Emergency Homeless Shelter Standards
  • The Salvation Army Project
  • Cold Weather Strategy
  • Homeless Outreach Team
  • Project Breakaway
  • Housing with Services
  • Portable Housing Benefit
  • Community Wellness Initiative
  • Homelessness Prevention Summit
  • Housing First
  • The Mental Health Commission of Canada

Message from the Minister of Housing and Community Development and the Minister of Family Services and Consumer Affairs Co-Chairs, All Aboard Poverty Reduction Strategy

We are pleased to introduce you to Manitoba’s poverty reduction strategy called ALL Aboard.  Poverty is more than a lack of money alone; it is a combination of issues that keep people from participating in the economy or in society.  Everything we do as a government in some way contributes to reducing poverty and increasing the inclusion of low‑income Manitobans in all aspects of community life.  ALL Aboard now formalizes this commitment to poverty reduction and allows us to build on it and move forward in a focused, strategic manner. 

Key strategic elements of the plan include:

• A vision and framework to promote social inclusion
• Values and principles to guide action
• A ministers’ committee to provide integrated oversight
• A cross-departmental working group to coordinate the strategy
• Meaningful measures to monitor progress
• Annual reporting to the public
• Partnerships to ensure coordination and success, and
• Consultations to incorporate feedback

The ALL Aboard strategy is based on an annual investment of more than $744 million, and includes $212 million of new investments in 09/10, which focus on long‑term solutions for Manitobans to promote social inclusion and get at root causes of poverty.  Many of the initiatives already underway in Manitoba, such as Closing the Gap, Neighbourhoods Alive!, Healthy Child Manitoba, Family Choices: Manitoba’s Five‑Year Agenda for Early Learning and Child Care, the Manitoba Hydro Northern Training and Employment Initiative, and Rewarding Work, have gone a long way to help Manitobans.  ALL Aboard will build on the success of these programs and strengthen the measures we are already taking to tackle issues related to poverty in Manitoba.

We will be measuring our progress on poverty reduction through a set of key indicators and we will report annually on this progress beginning in 2010/11.

On the ALL Aboard website you will find a report outlining the details of the strategy including the initiatives which are currently underway or planned under each of the four pillars of the strategy: safe, affordable housing in supportive communities; education, jobs and income support; strong, healthy families; and accessible, coordinated services.  You will also find links directly to key initiatives  that are announced under the All Aboard umbrella, such as the new HOMEWorks! Homeless Strategy with a Focus on Mental Health Housing.

We have made significant progress on reducing poverty, but we have more work to do.  All Aboard will allow us to continue to make progress, providing a mechanism to work together across government as well as with our partners.  Poverty costs us all, and we encourage all citizens to get involved and do their part in helping make this happen for the good of all Manitobans.

Kerri Irvin-Ross                                                          Gord Mackintosh          
Minister                                                                        Minister
Housing and Community Development                Family Services and Consumer Affairs