“This crisis is unacceptable”—Grand Chief Daniels calls for First Nations-led housing and healing solutions

WINNIPEG – INDIGENOUS NEWS – AUGUST 28, 2025 – The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is calling on all levels of government to urgently collaborate with First Nations leadership following the release of the 2024 Street Census by End Homelessness Winnipeg, which exposes a record-breaking number of unhoused people in the city—2,469 individuals, the highest count since tracking began in 2015.

Even more troubling, nearly 80% of those experiencing homelessness identify as Indigenous, highlighting the systemic inequities facing First Nations citizens in what SCO calls a “humanitarian emergency.”

“This crisis is deeply known within our First Nations,” said Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. “But the scale and visibility of this homelessness is unacceptable. The systemic failures that have pushed our citizens onto the streets of their own homeland must be acknowledged and dismantled.”

Call for Treaty-Based, Culturally Grounded Solutions

The SCO is urging governments to co-create long-term, culturally relevant strategies that go beyond emergency shelter.

These must include:

• First Nations-led housing development

• Mental health and healing supports

• Substance use treatment

• Culturally grounded, community-based services

• Upholding Treaty rights and First Nations jurisdiction

“Our Nations are ready to lead,” Daniels continued. “What we need now is real investment and a genuine partnership—because each day of delay places more lives at risk.”

More Than Just Numbers: A Legacy of Colonial Displacement

The 2024 Street Census reflects deeper, historic injustices, Daniels emphasized—stemming from:

• Colonial policies

• Chronic underfunding of Indigenous housing

• The intergenerational trauma of the child welfare system

• The legacy of the residential school system

• Jurisdictional neglect in health and social services

SCO maintains that solutions must be First Nations-driven and respectful of sovereignty, not imposed through mainstream systems that have historically failed Indigenous peoples.

Time to Move Beyond Temporary Fixes

“We must move beyond temporary fixes,” Daniels said. “Ending this crisis demands centering First Nations voices, fully respecting our jurisdiction, and collaborating in genuine partnership.”

About the Southern Chiefs’ Organization

SCO represents 32 Anishinaabe and Dakota First Nations and more than 87,000 citizens across what is now southern Manitoba. It works to protect, preserve, and promote the rights, languages, customs, and traditions of First Nations people through the spirit and intent of Treaty-making.