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![\"MIKE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/3995859_web1_30236966_201006-EQUITY-REPORT-0024-e1771536607198.jpg\")
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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Sonia Prevost-Derbecker, CEO of Siloam Mission <\/p>\n
Prevost-Derbecker, who will be formally introduced in her new role on Friday, brings \u201cexpertise in housing, mental health, child welfare, education, and community development. Her career has focused on strengthening systems of care, building effective partnerships, and responding to community-identified needs,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the aspects that most strongly drew me to Siloam is its commitment to caring for the whole person,\u201d Prevost-Derbecker said in the release. \u201cSupporting physical needs alongside emotional and spiritual well-being reflects both my Indigenous and Christian values. Healing, at its core, is about being grounded in who we are, where we come from, and having hope that allows us to live into our full potential.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prevost-Derbecker previously served as global director of Indigenous men\u2019s mental health programs with Movember. She has also had leadership roles with Indspire, Point Douglas Revitalization Initiative, Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad (Ndinawe), All Nations Coordinated Response Child and Family Services, and the M\u00e9tis Child and Family Services Board.<\/p>\n
She succeeds Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, who left the position in January 2025 to join the provincial government as a senior adviser on homelessness to Premier Wab Kinew and to lead Manitoba\u2019s Your Way Home strategy.<\/p>\n
Blaikie Whitecloud had taken the helm at Siloam in late 2021, replacing Jim Bell, a former executive with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who resigned amid accusations the shelter was not meeting the spiritual needs of its Indigenous community members.<\/p>\n
Following Blaikie Whitecloud\u2019s departure, Julianne Aitken, Siloam\u2019s director of services, served as interim CEO.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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Prevost-Derbecker enters the position at a time when chronic homelessness has never been higher in the city. End Homelessness Winnipeg\u2019s tracker suggests more than 900 people experience chronic homelessness.<\/p>\n
In its latest street census, End Homelessness tallied 2,469 homeless people during one day of the census period \u2014 higher than any count since it began the initiative in 2015.<\/p>\n
That was a 97 per cent increase compared with the previous census, when 1,256 homeless people were counted over a 24-hour period in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnding chronic homelessness is complex,\u201d Prevost-Derbecker said. \u201cIt requires meeting people where they are, understanding root causes, and providing the supports that allow housing to truly be a foundation for stability and well-being. Siloam\u2019s approach reflects this understanding, and I\u2019m honoured to be part of carrying it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Scott Billeck Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade\u2019s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.\u00a0 Read more about Scott<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
Reporter
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