People First Radio – January 30, 2025People First Radio – January 30, 2025
People First Radio
Conversations with Tessa Blakey-Whitecloud and Leticia Sadam outline Manitoba’s housing-focused response to homeless encampments and Kids Help Phone’s tech-enabled support for youth mental health. The episode links systems change, practical services, and everyday help-seeking in a candid, people-centred way.
0:00•31 Jan 2025
Housing, Hope and Helplines: Manitoba’s Homelessness Plan and Youth Mental Health
Episode Overview
- Housing with appropriate supports is presented as the central solution to chronic homelessness, with new units dedicated specifically to people leaving encampments.
- A 30‑day, encampment-specific process aims to move people voluntarily into housing while cutting bureaucratic delays that keep them on the streets.
- Systems issues such as release times from incarceration, detox access, and income assistance procedures are highlighted as key drivers pushing people into homelessness.
- Lived experience is emphasised as crucial in both homelessness services and supportive housing workforces, shaping better decisions and trust with clients.
- Kids Help Phone encourages young people to reach out for support at any stage, using technology, data and moderated online tools to make mental health help more accessible and less stigmatised.
“The answer is always housing. And it’s housing with supports.”
How do people find hope in the darkest times? This episode of People First Radio brings together two very different but connected conversations about homelessness and youth mental health, all framed for anyone curious about recovery, support, and what real change can look like on the ground. First, Joe Pugh speaks with Tessa Blakey-Whitecloud, the incoming senior advisor on ending chronic homelessness to Manitoba premier Wab Kinew.
She breaks down the province’s new plan to address homeless encampments by bringing actual housing online, rather than just clearing tents. As Tessa puts it, “The answer is always housing. And it’s housing with supports.” You’ll hear how a 30‑day, encampment-by-encampment approach aims to move people into units designed for their needs, with wraparound services like medical care and managed alcohol programmes.
She also talks about tackling the bigger systems that quietly push people into homelessness, from timing gaps between prison release and detox beds to income assistance rules that can cost someone their rent. The second half shifts to youth mental health with Leticia Sadam, co-chair of Kids Help Phone’s National Youth Council and a member of its board of directors.
Having volunteered since age 12, she talks about growing up across Canada, seeing “inequality in mental health resources,” and how Kids Help Phone evolved from phone lines to text, data tools, and AI. Leticia stresses that young people don’t need to wait for a crisis: even if it’s “just” stress about an exam or eco‑anxiety, reaching out matters, and there are always resources ready to help.
If you’re interested in how housing, systems change, and youth-focused support can work together, this episode offers a grounded look at what’s being tried right now and why it matters. What part of this conversation hits closest to home for you?
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