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Brianne Ste Marie Lacroix, Communications Manager
communications@mamawi.com | 204-925-0369

Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre needs more drivers to deliver much-needed hampers
A local community centre is in need of help as they work to feed families impacted by the pandemic. Kaylie Jardiner says Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre’s (Ma Mawi) Volunteer Coordinator, says every day they are packing anywhere from 200 to 500 hampers, set to be delivered to families across the city to…

A strong sense of community at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata – Shared Health
Each morning, as the sun rises on another day in Manitoba’s COVID-19 response, the dedicated team at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre begins with a traditional smudging ceremony. The name Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata, is Ojibway and translates into the phrase, “We all work together to help one another.” This is …

To combat homelessness, advocates say Winnipeg needs better housing solutions
Winnipeg is lagging behind other western cities when it comes to supporting unhoused residents. Here’s how local organizations are trying to catch up.

Urban vaccine clinics providing services for Indigenous Peoples in Winnipeg
Urban vaccine clinics in Winnipeg are helping thousands of Indigenous Peoples in the city get their shot against the COVID-19 virus.

Community-led vaccine sites building trust
Hundreds of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since two immunization clinics opened in the North End at the end of April.
Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre (363 McGregor St.) and the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre (181 Higgins Ave.) are helping to improve vaccine uptake among the urban …

Vaccine sites open in North End
The Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre (181 Higgins Ave.) began immunizing North End residents as part of the province’s efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among the local and urban Indigenous population.
A second vaccination site opened at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre (363 McGregor St.) …
Former MLA Kevin Chief, Manitoba NDP leader get COVID-19 vaccinations at new urban Indigenous clinics | CBC News
Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew and former MLA Kevin Chief stepped in to get their jabs at two new urban Indigenous vaccine clinics that opened on Thursday.

Indigenous vaccination sites open; leaders get the jab
Kevin Chief gestured to a cluster of tents draped in orange tarps opposite the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre on Higgins Avenue.
The centre opened a vaccination clinic Thursday morning, and the former Point Douglas MLA was illustrating the importance of having the walk-in site for inoculation…

Hockey Hall supports Ma Mawi youth sports program
Crystal Leach accepts a $10,000 cheque from the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame on behalf of Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre on April 22. The money will support the organization’s Positive Athletic Cultural Experience, which supports hockey and other sports programs for over 500 inner-city youth. Everythin…
Former MLA Kevin Chief, Manitoba NDP leader get COVID-19 vaccinations at new urban Indigenous clinics | CBC News
Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew and former MLA Kevin Chief stepped in to get their jabs at two new urban Indigenous vaccine clinics that opened on Thursday.
Adults living, working in Winnipeg COVID-19 hot spots say they’re eager for vaccination | CBC News
Winnipeggers living or working in the three COVID-19 hot spots are eager to roll up their sleeves to receive the vaccine.
New COVID-19 rapid testing site opening in Winnipeg to make testing more accessible to Indigenous people | CBC News
A new rapid COVID-19 testing facility has opened in Winnipeg’s North End to help make it easier for Indigenous people in the capital, as well as northern Manitoba, to be tested for the illness.

COVID testing for Indigenous families to open
Indigenous people are mobilizing to contain the spread of COVID-19 among the most vulnerable Manitobans.Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre announced Thursday it will start to offer both rapid screening and conventional COVID-19 tests at its 445 King St. location starting Tuesday.

Muslim, Indigenous women find common bonds
ATTENDING each other’s events, learning about each other’s experiences, standing up for each other — these are some of the things Muslim and Indigenous women in Manitoba can do to support each other.That was the message from a webinar titled “Muslim and Indigenous Women Leaders: In Spirit of Reconci…

Pandemic has magnified inequalities says community leader
The head of the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre in Winnipeg says the pandemic has had a significant impact on homeless people in the city.

The Village Project seeks to end, not manage, homelessness
Housing project aims to promote healing through community and cultural supports
Indigenous-run tiny house community aims to offer ‘protection, security’ to Winnipeg’s homeless | CBC News
An innovative housing project in Winnipeg wants to lift nearly two dozen people out of homelessness by asking them what they want in a home.

The Village Project aims to help Winnipeg’s homeless
Community organizations join forces to build a downtown village to shelter homeless people in Winnipeg. CTV’s Mason Depatie reports.

New housing development for homelessness announced
A new initiative by local organizations in Winnipeg is set to build a housing development to shelter those experiencing homelessness in the city’s downtown area. Alex Karpa has more.

New project to turn shipping containers into housing for Indigenous homeless
A collection of Winnipeg organizations are working to build housing for Indigenous homeless people in the city’s downtown out of shipping containers. The Village Project is a 22-unit communal housing development, and it has already received 2-point-7 million dollars in federal funding. Posted by En…

Momentum builds for Village project
Support is growing for the creation of a Main Street “Village” where unsheltered Winnipeggers can safely escape the cold.
The project would convert recycled shipping containers into 22 tiny residential units around Thunderbird House, while also creating a communal lodge where those in need can warm …
The Village Project: Tiny homes complex looks to shelter homeless people downtown
A collection of local organizations is coming together to create an innovative housing development downtown for Winnipeg’s homeless population that organizers hope will be a model for the rest of Canada.

Tiny homes project would see 22 units for homeless people in downtown Winnipeg | CBC News
A city councillor says 22 mini homes could shelter homeless Winnipeggers if funding is secured.

City properties envisioned as education hubs
Two city-owned properties could soon be devoted to a program that aims to ensure more students complete high school in the North End, if city council approves.New proposals call for the city to sell one surplus lot at 379 Selkirk Ave. and another city property that stretches between 325 and 345 Duff…

Lending a hand
In tough times, the strength of community can shine through.
Since March 2020, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre staff and volunteers have delivered over 100,000 food hampers to those in need of a helping hand as part of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Program.

Local MLAs and their goals for 2021
Almost a full month into 2021, local representatives of the legislature are looking ahead to a year of coping and recovery as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect their constituents in unique ways.
With the vaccine rollout underway — albeit doses are currently restricted to a small population —…

Local organizations respond to allegations against Siloam
Social organizations are speaking out after former staff of Siloam Mission appeared in recent media reports accusing the Christian humanitarian operation of failing to meet the spiritual and cultural care needs of its Indigenous community members.
For starters, Diane Redsky said, an organization’s s…

Indigenous-led non-profits say they are better equipped to deliver cultural services than Siloam Mission | CBC News
The leaders of Indigenous-led non-profit organizations say they are better equipped than Siloam Mission to provide spiritual care and cultural services to Winnipeg’s homeless population.

Plan turns Thunderbird House into ‘place of hope’
If all goes according to plan, Thunderbird House will once again be a centre of healing for Indigenous Winnipeg residents, come summer.
Local organizations are leading a proposal to transition the site, located at the intersection of Main Street and Higgins Avenue, to a residential space for individ…

What happened in 2020?
The year of 2020 in northwest Winnipeg neighbourhoods was marked by community spirit and generosity; residents leapt at the chance to volunteer at or donate to local organizations, looking for ways to brighten a dim year.
This Dec. 30 issue of The Times newspaper reviewed just a handful of this year…

Christmas Eve a busy time for charities, gift-givers in Manitoba | CBC News
Last minute preparations for Christmas are underway across the province, and for some that means preparing hampers while for others it’s gifts.

Police find people ‘at their most dire’ as COVID-19 magnifies struggles of poverty | CBC News
Increased isolation due to COVID-19 has also led to severe challenges impacting the health and safety of vulnerable Winnipeggers, many of whom are being encountered by Winnipeg police.

Ma Mawi distributes thousands of food hampers monthly
Since March, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre has delivered more than 163,000 care packages to thousands of Winnipeg households, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which has contributed to rising food insecurity.
More than 104,000 — around two-thirds — of the packages were food hampers, while the other…

Plan seeks to breathe new life into Thunderbird House site
A conglomerate led by the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre and End Homelessness Winnipeg has quietly planned a revamp of the Thunderbird House site, giving hope to one of the city’s most struggling neighbourhoods.
For years, the area around Thunderbird House, at the corner of Higgins Avenue and Main Stre…

A plan to find, help MIA students
An average 400 Grade 7-12 students in the North End have been reported “inactive” during the school year for the last decade.
Despite being registered in the Winnipeg School Division, they are not actively participating at their home school and their families have not reported a move.

Winter boot drive organizer hoping to help Winnipeggers in need for a 2nd year | CBC News
After helping put 100 pairs of boots on the feet of people in need last year, Robyn Brown is at it again.

Leftovers Foundation opens its doors in Winnipeg to help shelters
The Leftovers Foundation which takes food from restaurants and stores and delivers them to shelters has opened in Winnipeg.

‘Anishiative’ litter patrol aims to make North End streets cleaner, safer | CBC News
Young community leaders in Winnipeg’s North End are cleaning up litter and hoping to inspire other Indigenous youth to give back to their community.

Two community partnerships to lead program to support, keep families together
The Manitoba government is investing more than $1 million in a new program designed to help keep families together by matching them with community-based…

Families can’t go to them, so Ma Mawi staff, volunteers filling needs, stomachs
The Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre has been delivering emergency food and hygiene kits to an “alarming” number of Winnipeg children over the last two weeks.
“Out of the 1,900 kits that we delivered, 870 are children and… 650 of those children are under the age of 10,” said Diane Redsky, executive direc…

Jun 2019: With a proud past, friendship centre to rise again
In April 1959, the Indian and Métis Friendship Centre opened in downtown Winnipeg on the main floor of an office building. It housed offices, a lounge, rec room, kitchenette and a craft room.

How a rural Manitoba lodge is healing survivors of sexual exploitation in Canada
Hands of Mother Earth (H.O.M.E.) has become a sanctuary for survivors aged 13 to 17 since opening in 2011.