More than 500 people in Winnipeg who are homeless and living with a mental illness are being recruited to participate in Canada’s largest-ever study on the issue. The Winnipeg At Home project is aimed at providing people with stable, long-term housing and supports, with particular attention to the Aboriginal population. Using a $3.75 million grant provided by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, The University of Winnipeg’s Institute of Urban Studies (IUS) and the University of Manitoba’s Departments of Psychiatry and Community Health Sciences form the core research team.

Youth suicide and suicide attempts have become a major problem among First Nations communities living on reserves. In order to counteract this troubling trend, the Swampy Cree Suicide Prevention Team at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine, Department of Community Health Sciences has worked with the Swampy Cree Tribal Council to improve the understanding of the risk factors for suicide among Aboriginal populations and to determine individual, community and school –based interventions to reduce suicidal behavior. Now the Swampy Cree Suicide Prevention Team is ready to push their efforts further with a research study that aims to identify youth at risk for suicide.