News & Updates

NEW BUSINESS MOTION FOR SAGE HOUSE

The City of Winnipeg within Community Services, and Across Departments has worked alongside Community Based Organizations during COVID-19 pandemic to develop and fund warming spaces, develop 24/7 safe spaces, and respond to food security needs through the use of Community Centres and Recreation sites.

Sage House is an outreach, health Centre providing service to women identifying people as well as a fully funded program of the Mount Carmel Clinic who during the COVID-19 pandemic has had to pivot their operations given the limitations of their space, and the need for physical distancing;

With additional space for physical distancing within a City of Winnipeg recreational facility, Sage House could re-establish their health outreach program, along with their staff, with appropriate physical distancing and continue their over 30 year track-record of supporting women identifying peoples’ public health drop-in programming.

February 10th - The Standing Policy Committee on Protection, Community Services and Parks unanimously recommended to the Executive Policy Committee and Council that:

1. The Winnipeg Public service be directed to:Connect with Mount Carmel with respect to their programming needs;Make reasonable efforts to immediately partner with Mount Carmel Clinic, by providing space at a recreation centre with sufficient space for Sage House Programming, ideally around the Dufferin Neighbourhood.
2. That the City enter into, execute and deliver any required agreements with Mount Carmel Clinic as deemed necessary by the City Solicitor / Director of Legal Services to implement the intent of the foregoing.
3. That authority be delegated to the Chief Administrative Officer to negotiate and approve the terms and conditions of the agreements, in accordance with this report and such other terms and conditions deemed necessary by the City Solicitor / Director of Legal Services to protect the interests of the City.
4. Report back to the Standing Policy Committee on Protection, Community Services and Parks with monthly verbal updates on vulnerable residents including how Sage House and other partnerships like WE 24/7 are developing within City owned and operated facilities, commencing in April 2021; and
5. That the Proper Officers of the City be authorized to do all things necessary to implement the intent of the foregoing.

Background on Sage House:

Sage House is a health, outreach, and resource centre providing services to street-involved women, including transgender women.  Their programming offers women and trans-gender people an opportunity to access information and harms reduction tools; provides meals, laundry, shower facilities, telephone, and computer access at drop in centre. In addition, they have a full range of nurse practitioner services available on a drop-in basis. 

Sage House also provides support and advocacy regarding resources, education, addiction treatment, employment and income assistance, housing, child and family services, justice.  They offer programs, workshops on topics chosen by the women themselves; and they have a street outreach team that connects with women currently working in the sex trade; providing them with harm reduction kits, crisis intervention and support.

Importance of doing more for women identifying people during COVID-19

The impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex.  The pandemic has disproportionately impacted women’s economic wellbeing where they are generally earning less, and working at more precarious jobs; Unpaid work has increased during the pandemic; and sexual and reproductive health services have been reduced; Impacts have further impacted fragility and conflict and undermined community based organizations capacity to respond.