Supporting and empowering individuals facing difficult economic situations
There are thousands of people living in Winnipeg who face housing precarity, job loss, food insecurity, and rising costs of living. These socio-economic barriers are being addressed by Supporting Employment & Economic Development (SEED Winnipeg), an organization who works to guide people through systems that are often difficult to navigate and provide financial empowerment through education.
“It’s really uneven out there,” says Louise Simbandumwe, Co-Director of SEED Winnipeg. “There are people that have fallen further behind [economically], and it’s been exacerbated by inflation. There is a real level of desperation out in the community that we haven’t seen before, but it’s on a different scale. There has been a lot more demand for our services and so we are unfortunately turning a lot more people away.”
An accident, illness, or layoffs are only some of the numerous reasons people may find themselves in difficult economic situations. There is a path out of poverty, but a lack of time and resources combined with systemic barriers can make it an almost impossible journey.
“People are really struggling,” says Simbandumwe. “There is a lot of desperation. There’s an erosion of people’s living standards, and there is a sense of precariousness.”

SEED Winnipeg strives to help people in our community find financial and economic relief. They serve Indigenous peoples, single parents, women, newcomers, youth, those involved with the justice system, people with disabilities, and others, by navigating the tax system, applying for government issued identification, supporting small businesses, and getting newcomers’ credentials recognized.
“Our focus is very much on people living on low levels of income, with an emphasis on people that are facing multiple barriers to economic inclusion,” says Simbandumwe. “Anyone that is at disproportionate risk of poverty due to systemic and structural barriers.”
To learn more about SEED Winnipeg, visit seedwinnipeg.ca