News
04/2026 : CHRA Congress Session
At the CHRA Congress in St. John’s, Shared Ground was invited to present Unlocking Housing on the Land We Already Have alongside Kyla Tanner and Megan Golfetto of Women’s Shelters Canada. Shannon shared insights from the initiative’s work supporting non-profit organizations in advancing affordable housing on underused land and buildings.
The session focused on the earliest stages of development, highlighting how early feasibility support can reduce risk, accelerate timelines and strengthen organizational capacity. Drawing on research and applied experience, the speakers outlined key tasks within the feasibility phase and shared practical tools to help organizations move from initial ideas toward viable housing projects.
An interactive component invited participants to begin shaping their own project vision and engagement approach, reinforcing both WSC' and Shared Ground’s focus on building confidence and capacity at the outset of development.
04/2026 : Raising the Roof Panel Discussion & The Signal
As part of the CHRA Congress, Shannon participated in a panel discussion hosted by Raising the Roof (RTR). The session followed a tour of RTR’s latest affordable housing development at 275 Duckworth Street. Shannon joined RTR to explore emerging approaches to portfolio-based housing delivery. With Shared Ground actively contributing to RTR’s broader portfolio, the discussion highlighted how locally driven initiatives can be aligned and scaled across regions. The facilitated dialogue focused on defining a “community-led portfolio approach,” examining how multiple projects can be advanced collectively while remaining grounded in local needs, partnerships and outcomes. The event also included a live broadcast of CBC’s The Signal with Matt Walsh, where Shannon shared insights on Shared Ground’s work and the broader shift toward community-led housing solutions across Canada.
04/2026 : Jubilee Fund Community Based Solutions & AGM
Shannon was invited to present on Shared Ground at the Jubilee Fund Annual General Meeting on April 15, 2026. As part of the session titled Community Based Solutions – Breaking Barriers, the presentation highlighted how Shared Ground supports non-profit organizations in advancing affordable housing projects by unlocking the potential of underused land and buildings.
The Jubilee Fund is a Winnipeg-based non-profit that provides community investment loans and financial support to organizations working to reduce poverty and promote community well-being. Their work focuses on enabling initiatives that create affordable housing, support social enterprise and strengthen local communities.
02/2026 : Roundtable on the Future of Faith Properties 2.0
On February 19, 2026, Shared Ground – represented by 5468796 Architecture and Releven – hosted the second Community Roundtable on the Future of Faith Properties in Winnipeg, bringing together municipal and provincial officials, funders and community and faith leaders. Building on the themes and momentum of the first roundtable, the event focused on advancing ideas into action and exploring new possibilities for underused faith sites.
Over 50 community members gathered at Westworth United Church to discuss challenges, share ideas, highlight relevant models and identify sites ready for redevelopment. A series of table discussions brought participants together around key themes, including From Intention to Action: Barriers & Challenges, Funding & Financing Innovation: Creative & Sustainable Capital Models, and Unlocking Development Opportunity: Scalable Strategies & Leverage Points, exploring how faith properties can be reimagined as catalysts for housing and community impact.
12/2025 : EHW “Ending Homelessness Together” Gathering
Shared Ground participated in End Homelessness Winnipeg’s “Ending Homelessness Together” Gathering, held December 1–3 under the theme Igniting the Flame, Fanning our Spirit. Guided by the teachings of the medicine wheel, the event brought together more than 50 speakers and workshop leaders to share knowledge, celebrate achievements and strengthen connections across housing, health and community sectors. As part of the Housing Supply Panel, Shannon spoke about Shared Ground alongside Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, the newly appointed CEO of the Collaborative Housing Alliance, and Jamie Pfau, who shared her work with Peace for All of Us, contributing to a broader conversation on community-driven, person-centred housing solutions.
11/2025 : SHIP “Housing Security For All” Conference
On November 20th, Shared Ground was invited to present at the “Housing Security for All” Conference hosted by Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), an event designed to bring together housing practitioners, service providers and community leaders to strengthen collaboration and advance innovative housing and homelessness solutions. In her session, Shannon shared insights on partnership models and development pathways that can support non-profit organizations exploring new housing initiatives, with a focus on early feasibility phase support. The presentation highlighted how thoughtful collaboration and proactive planning can help move projects from vision to implementation while responding to local housing needs.
From October 28–30, Shared Ground was pleased to take part in the CAEH National Conference on Ending Homelessness — a gathering that brought together Canada’s movement to end homelessness to connect, learn from one another, and accelerate action to prevent and reduce homelessness. Shannon presented Turning Community Spaces into Housing Solutions, outlining the current housing context in Winnipeg and exploring how under-used community assets can be transformed into affordable housing through structured feasibility support. The session drew strong engagement, with nearly 90 participants contributing to an interactive survey intended to assess interest, capacity and supports needed to pursue a housing project. Responses reflected growing momentum and a shared desire for practical tools and guidance to help groups move from concept to next steps.
10/2025 : CAEH25 Conference
10/2025 : CCEDNet “The Gathering” Workshop
At The Gathering 2025 – an annual event that unites Manitoba’s community builders under the banner of “Imagining Our Future: Moving to Transformative Action” – Shannon led a presentation followed by an interactive workshop that invited participants to explore the resources needed to kickstart an affordable housing project. Through a guided discussion around “what we have, what we need, and what we create,” attendees worked in small groups to reflect on their own organizations and skillsets, mapping out existing assets, identifying gaps, and considering realistic next steps within their unique contexts. This hands-on exercise encouraged participants to connect housing development opportunities with their organizational missions, capacities, and challenges, adding a housing-focused lens to the event’s broader emphasis on community economic development.
10/2025 : MNPHA “Building Partnerships” Conference
Shared Ground participated in the MNPHA conference as part of the panel Building Better Together – Innovative and Collaborative Housing Development, alongside representatives from the City of Winnipeg and the West Broadway Community Organization. The discussion highlighted emerging models of land stewardship and partnership-driven development in Manitoba, including the City of Winnipeg’s supportive housing pilot, the West Broadway land trust, and Shared Ground’s focus on unlocking social purpose properties for housing.
07/2025 : Arms of the Cross Housing Inc.
On June 29th, the final service was held at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Winnipeg’s West End. While the church’s role as a place of worship has come to a close, the congregation’s legacy of service to the community will carry forward through a new purpose – creating affordable housing for those in need. To help realize this vision, the church has entrusted its land and building to Arms of the Cross Housing Inc. (AOTC), a non-profit housing provider and registered charitable organization founded by the church in 1977. With support from Shared Ground, AOTC is pursuing plans to convert the 1965 modernist structure into a new affordable housing development, extending its mission to provide housing for senior saints.
06/2025 : Newcomer Housing Workshop
On June 3rd, Shared Ground – represented by 5468796 Architecture and Scatliff+Miller+Murray – in collaboration with New Journey Housing, hosted a Newcomer Housing Workshop, bringing together service providers, housing developers, community organizations and government representatives to discuss newcomer housing priorities in Winnipeg. Access to safe, stable and affordable housing is essential to successful settlement and well-being, yet many individuals and families continue to face challenges due to affordability, availability and barriers in navigating the housing system. The workshop featured a panel discussion highlighting current housing initiatives and lessons learned, followed by small-group activities designed to spark further dialogue and collaboration. Participants shared experiences, explored new ideas and identified opportunities for working together to expand affordable housing for newcomers.
The 2024/2025 Year in Review highlights the progress made since the initiative’s launch in October 2024, celebrating the early momentum of social purpose organizations working to create affordable housing in their communities. Click the link below to learn more about key milestones, growing partnerships and how Shared Ground is helping organizations navigate the early stages of development with greater confidence and support.
05/2025 : Year in Review
04/2025 : Community Roundtable on the Future of Faith Properties
Canada’s churches face a crossroads—aging congregations, limited funds, and underused properties put one-third of faith buildings at risk of closure this decade. Winnipeg’s Shared Ground initiative is helping faith communities transform land into affordable housing and vibrant spaces. On April 8th at St. Mary’s Road UnitedChurch, Shared Ground brought together city officials, funders, heritage experts, and community and faith leaders to explore bold new possibilities. Together, we shared ideas, highlighted inspiring models, and identified sites ready for redevelopment in Winnipeg. Panel discussions included: Sacred Spaces to Community Places: Unlocking the Potential of Faith Properties, From Steeples to Streetscapes: Navigating Opportunities and Obstacles in Faith Property Redevelopment, and Funding the Future: Investing in Housing Opportunities on Faith Properties. See below for a welcome message from River Heights MLA Mike Moroz, along with the full list of panelists, a short video recap of the event, and the final report capturing key insights and outcomes.
12/2024 : Shared Ground in the Winnipeg Free Press
Charleswood community correspondent Donna Minkus writes: “A new initiative will help develop more affordable housing on existing social-purpose infrastructure in Winnipeg. Called Shared Ground, it is designed to help charities, non-profits, co-operatives or social enterprises with land or buildings ready for transformation.”
12/2024 : Official Press Release from HICC
“The federal government is investing $10 million for 18 applied research projects that explore specific, impactful ways to help Canada meet its housing and infrastructure needs. From building a national housing data platform, to studying the impacts of transit investments on low-income and racialized communities, to combatting youth homelessness, these projects aim to generate innovative, practical solutions to the housing and infrastructure challenges faced by Canadian communities … 5468796 Architecture in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is aiming to identify and leverage under-utilized land and building assets of non-government organizations to support new affordable housing development.”
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