Sara Riel’s Equal Housing Initiative

Sara Riel Inc.’s Equal Housing Initiative is working on the McLaren Hotel redevelopment project. The McLaren Hotel is a single room occupancy hotel that houses 150 residents and is in dire need of repair. Last year, the owner proposed the construction of an addition to make more room for dignified living space (108 new suites) to city council. Following this, Sara Riel partnered with the owner of the hotel, who wishes to offer affordable, dignified living spaces for people transitioning out of homelessness and/or need additional supports. They wish to create a plan to provide affordable social housing to homeless people transitioning out of the shelter system. A third of the new building will be used towards this initiative. The Equal Housing Initiative is a unique approach to social housing. They plan to directly involve the current McLaren residents in the research, choosing to interview/consult with them to determine what their specific needs are. This differs from previous approaches where organizations made assumptions about what people’s needs were. Equal Housing Initiative’s goal is to support those who are experiencing homelessness that are ready to begin reintegration into society and live independently.

Faculty Supervisor:

Shauna MacKinnon

Student:

Partner:

Sara Riel Foundation Inc.

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

University of Winnipeg

Program: