While the diocese has been in a time of episcopal transition, progress has been made nationally on mobilizing faith-based support for the goal of ending homelessness.
Two separate projects with similar goals are well under way. The Rev. Graham Singh has issued The Winnipeg Declaration with the goal of deploying faith-owned land and buildings for the public good, ending homelessness being “a core imperative.” At the same time, the Faith Network has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for its incorporation within the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH).
The result will be more resources for parishes with interest but also concerns about starting affordable housing projects. And with the Faith Network, it will offer an opportunity for parishes that have created housing to share their experience for the benefit of others.
Singh is the founder of Relèven and incumbent of St Jax, an Anglican bilingual parish and community hub in Montreal. Relèven works to restore or repurpose under-utilized churches into community hubs and affordable housing. It has partnered with Anglican churches in the dioceses of Huron and Qu’Appelle.
Singh says the Winnipeg Declaration is “a balloon we floated to over 200 national and regional faith leaders, bishops and the equivalent, to ask, is this a good idea?” referring to a plan to encourage a national faith declaration and generate resources in the cause of ending homelessness?
The analysis of about 50 responses favored broadening the purpose to include the wider social impact of land deployment, understanding that the land is not all going to be used for homelessness only.
Singh is convening roundtables in cities across Canada and launching a website that will invite “faith communities and partners” to add their names as signatories or witnesses to the Winnipeg Declaration. The site was scheduled to open on May 1, 2026. He says a roundtable in Edmonton led to the city offering a grant program for churches that are going through transitions.
Singh says the invitation to sign on to the Declaration, not legally binding, is intended to generate interest and activity. In an Anglican context, it could be a bishop, a rector, an interested parishioner or all three.
Meanwhile, Tim Richter, CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) reports that the Faith Network is coming together. “We have a steering committee, two great co-chairs, an MOU and terms of reference. Work on the toolkit is proceeding and the process for (hiring) a coordinator is about to begin.”
Singh’s Relèven and the Faith Network, Richter’s long-time aspiration for the Alliance, came together at the Alliance’s national conference last October in Montreal where the Faith Network was officially launched.
Singh floated the idea of a national faith declaration on ending homelessness, initially favourably received by Faith Network representatives. The two groups are in discussions about possible Relèven participation at the Alliance’s national conference in Winnipeg in November.
As the building process continues, the Faith Network will want to take into account the services already provided by Relèven, which offers a property strategy course and opportunities to work with Canada Mortgage and Housing’s Solutions Lab.
Garth Brown, co-chair of the its steering committee says the network plans to build a website that will include details of successfully completed projects, with a facility for interested parties to connect. “We’re trying to create a platform so that people don’t have to re-invent the wheel.”
Singh’s Winnipeg Declaration includes an undertaking to raise $5 million of “catalytic philanthropic investment” over three years. Funding is needed, he says, to help parishes overcome inevitable tensions that stand in the way of creating affordable housing.
He says the funding is needed to help create the conditions whereby the tensions can be managed well. “It does not happen for free.” He refers to the well-known NIMBY [not-in-my-backyard] factor — everyone is in favour of affordable housing as long as it’s not near their property.
“If you have a good community facilitator and you have good pre-development work for the site – the church, the neighbours, the community organizations —you can truly work together.”
He says he doesn’t “buy the phrase ‘surplus land’ easily.” Before declaring land surplus, particularly before selling it to a for-profit developer, you should first determine whether it may be need by other partners — another church, a community organization — in the area.
*It’s The Winnipeg Declaration because Relèven has been working with several Winnipeg congregations, including All Saints Anglican, to create affordable housing.
Saint James the Apostle, Manotick — West Ottawa Deanery