Flin Flon left behind in struggle with housing and food security, support organizations say
CBC
Organizations in a northwestern Manitoba border city say it's being left behind in the cost of living crisis, as food insecurity and homelessness in the region grow.
Some argue Flin Flon, more than 600 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, has been pulling through largely on local support, when other nearby communities, and both the Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments, should also be stepping up.
The executive director of the local food bank, Alison Dallas-Funk, said with limited affordable housing and no overnight shelter, food needs have also doubled in the last decade, and they've increased even more since this season's wildfires.
The launch of Manitoba's school nutrition program has helped, but Lord's Bounty Food Bank, which is volunteer-run, still serves more than 400 households, up from 204 in 2017, said Dallas-Funk, who is also a city councillor and Flin Flon's deputy mayor.
She says the city, which itself has a population of roughly 5,000, acts as a hub for services, but feels it isn't recognized as one.
Lord's Bounty is the main food bank in the area, covering a cross-border region of about 20,000 people, including the nearby Saskatchewan communities of Creighton, Denare Beach and Pelican Narrows, along with Cranberry Portage and Sherridon in Manitoba, she said.
"Ideally, all communities would contribute somewhat to our food bank," Dallas-Funk told CBC News last month.
"If there was consistent [funding] and everybody collectively supported it, it wouldn't be such a burden on one community."
The food bank gets by mostly on local business and community donations, said Dallas-Funk.
"You can't rely solely on communities to support these programs when you know the average person is having a hard time buying groceries," she said.
"I really believe that our province can do better to support food insecurity by having more of a standard guideline of what other food banks or food provider locations need."
Dallas-Funk says the food bank is one place where the area's hidden homelessness surfaces.
Valerie Colomb, 56, gets food hampers and meals there. She and her two children, aged 12 and 15, haven't had their own home in about four years.
"It's not nice, but you gotta do what you gotta do," Colomb said.
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