Winnipeg outreach group’s new boat takes to the river to help people in encampments
A Winnipeg outreach group’s new motorboat will soon be jetting down the Red River to offer resources like food and harm reduction supplies to people living in encampments on the river’s banks.
“[The water is] another aspect to the dynamic that folks are finding themselves struggling in. So we’re going to test the waters, no pun intended, to see how we can help those folks,” said Daniel Hidalgo, founder of the non-profit CommUnity 204.
It will be starting outreach work during the week of July 29 using a $60,000 boat the group acquired back in May, through donations from the public and a grant from the Indigenous Youth Roots organization. Having a boat with key features like adequate storage space and seating capacity, and horsepower to navigate the strong currents of the river, was important for the group, said Hidalgo.
“This is our first year out on the water, so we haven’t been able to really determine how big the costs are going to look at the end. But so far so good, and we’re hoping to get out there and get a strong, strong thing going,” said Hidalgo.
The group’s river patrol was inspired by Drag the Red, a Winnipeg grassroots initiative that was formed to help search the river for signs of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Cruising the river will let CommUnity 204 complement what’s happening on land, he said.
“There’s already so many foot patrol groups out there in the city. We have Bear Clan, we have Mama Bear Clan, we have DCSP [Downtown Community Safety Partnership], we have Anishiative, we have Sabe Peace Walkers and CommUnity 204. I think Winnipeg is setting the standard on what grassroots organizations can do on land,” said Hidalgo.
Michael Richard, one of the group’s community co-ordinators, said being able to get out on the water allows for a different perspective.
“You’ll see those in need, more in the areas like Higgins [Avenue] and around that area” in Point Douglas, west of the Red River, said Richard.
“But then you’ll also start to see the encampments, so you kinda see a whole different part of the city.”
So far, CommUnity 204’s scope will mainly be along the Red River, as the Assiniboine River’s shallowness and rocks would make it harder and unsafe for the team to navigate.
The weather, changing water levels and debris in the water are other challenges the boat patrol will face.
But Hidalgo said the risks for homeless people living on the river banks are much greater. The changing water levels can affect the encampments, and the water quality of the river can also raise hygiene concerns.
Winnipeggers can expect to see CommUnity 204’s boat on the Red River three times a week.
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