Two organizations with deep roots in social support work are hoping to bring a new affordable housing project to Steinbach that also directly supports tenants’ mental health needs.
Eden Health Care Services and Steinbach Community Outreach (SCO) presented a joint proposal to Steinbach City Council this week, outlining a collaborative effort that aims to provide permanent, affordable housing with wraparound mental health services for some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
Housing proposal
This housing project includes a new 45-unit apartment block in Steinbach that will be managed by Eden Housing, and another 24-unit apartment block on the same property managed by Steinbach Community Outreach.
Of the 45 units Eden will manage, there will be 16 units in Eden Housing with clinical Assertive Care programming. Council heard that the staffing model includes social work, occupational therapy, psychiatric nursing, and housing support. The remaining 29 units will be designated affordable housing with limited support and independent living.
The 24 units in the SCO building will be designated to affordable housing with access to some group programming at the Eden site and referral program to Eden Housing.
Right now, the group is looking at a 5.3-acre parcel of land with an expected cost of $1 million to $1.5 million to purchase. The total cost of both projects combined is expected to reach approximately $22 million.
Possible funding opportunities
Steinbach City Council was provided with a list of possible funding options:
- Up to $5 million in Captial Funding from Housing Starts Here
- Up to $3.375 million in Capital Funding from CMHC
- Up to $500,000 in Seed Funding from CMHC
- Up to $30,000 in Planning Funding from Federation of Canadian Municipalities
- Up to $250,000 in Study Funding from Federation of Canadian Municipalities
- Up to $3 million in Capital Funding from Federation of Canadian Municipalities
This leaves an outstanding need of $1.5 million for the land purchase, between $3 million and $5 million in capital funding, and additional funding for Steinbach Community Outreach capital (beyond the funding that they apply for that can be stacked as well).
Inspired by a proven model
Brad Unger, Chief Executive Officer at Eden Health Care Services, told council the concept is based on an existing program.
“We're basing this project off of something that we're doing already in Winnipeg, and we have a model that's been proven successful,” said Unger. “It's been really beneficial to support those living with severe and persistent mental illnesses and to have really stable long tenancies.”
Eden currently operates housing in several Manitoba communities, including Steinbach, Winkler and Winnipeg. Unger said they’ve seen strong outcomes by integrating housing with clinical mental health supports.
He emphasized that the safety and success of tenants is largely due to Eden’s embedded clinical team. “We have a clinical team that's there five days a week supporting the tenants, so it really becomes an assertive care model,” he said. “Bringing people to their appointments, getting them connected to their supports is part of the program. And so we've been able to have really long, stable tenancies, which is what we're after.”
A unique partnership in Steinbach
Charlene Kroeker, Director of Steinbach Community Outreach, said the idea for the project emerged after provincial officials visited the SCO facility last April.
“At the end of it, we kind of looked at each other and thought, somehow we can collaborate,” said Kroeker. “Then we brainstormed for a few months and came up with this idea.”
Though similar partnerships may exist elsewhere in Manitoba, Unger and Kroeker said this is the first of its kind for Steinbach Community Outreach.
They envision a housing complex located just west of Clear Springs Centre. This plan is different from The INN proposal. “They are their own charity, doing their own build and their own functions,” said Kroeker. “Transitional housing is also an important model, but our proposal adds a different layer of support.”
Mental health support is key
Kroeker said mental health is a daily challenge for many of the individuals SCO serves, and housing struggles are often directly connected to that issue.
“Every day we deal with people who are having mental health issues, mental health crises,” she said. “When we're working with them specifically on their housing, it's their mental health problems that are either having them become homeless or creating a struggle for them to maintain their housing.”
SCO already operates The Bridge, a low-income housing complex that opened in 2023. While the program has seen early success, Kroeker said the experience confirmed the need for additional mental health supports.
“The biggest challenge has been the mental health issues were stronger than we had anticipated,” she said. “So we are always looking for ways to help our tenants maintain their housing. That’s how this idea came about.”
Mental health data
In the written proposal to city council, it was noted that “Year over year, there is a large number of Steinbach area residents that are accessing services at Eden Mental Health Centre. An Assertive Care Apartment as proposed will reduce the number of admissions by providing the care that they need in the community/home setting.
In 2024, of 247 admissions to the centre in Winkler, 69 were from Steinbach. In 2020, there were 92 from Steinbach with the total reported at 286.
City council response
Mayor Earl Funk said he was encouraged by the presentation and believes it aligns with the city’s long-term housing goals.
“We do have homelessness, we have people that are at risk of being homeless, and we need housing for all,” Funk said. “When we see two respected groups like this in our community working together, it just reignites my hope and faith that we are going to make a dent in homelessness.”
Funk added that the city plans to work with the province to help the project move forward. “We're going to work hard at advocating for them and trying to see this project get to completion because I think it's very important and it's needed in our community.”
Councillor Michael Zwaagstra echoed those sentiments, saying the proposal was detailed and well thought out.
“These are organizations that have a proven track record,” said Zwaagstra. “When you combine the experience of these organizations, and they're proposing to pool their resources and come up with a project that addresses some of the higher-level housing needs, I’m very optimistic.”
Zwaagstra also pointed to SCO’s experience with The Bridge as a strong foundation for further development. “The only challenge with it is that there's not enough of it,” he said. “We'd like to see another one.”
Councillor Susan Penner agrees that “the housing proposal by Eden and SCO was excellent.” She added, “I appreciate that these two well-respected organizations are working together to address homelessness and mental health in our community. Their plan is comprehensive and also has a proven track record both in effectiveness and safety with similar projects like The Bridge housing in Steinbach and Concordia Village 4 housing in Winnipeg.”
Next steps and timelines
At this stage, Unger described the proposal as conceptual and pre-funding.
“We want to be realistic,” he said. “We are expecting that in the next month or two we're going to be having meetings with the province to determine whether this hits our feasibility checkpoints.”
The organizations are also sharing their experiences and models at a national level. Eden staff will be presenting at the upcoming National Housing and Homelessness Congress in Saskatoon, highlighting the success of their mental-health-focused housing in Winnipeg.
Support from the community
Both organizations say community support will be key as they move the proposal forward. Those interested in donating or learning more can reach out directly to Steinbach Community Outreach or the Eden Foundation.
“On SCO's part, you can always contact Outreach and we will designate that funding towards this new build,” said Kroeker.
Unger added that the Eden Foundation is also accepting donations and will provide updates through their website as the project progresses.
A model of wraparound care
Funk said the proposal represents a comprehensive approach to addressing homelessness by also tackling mental health—something he believes is essential.
“We can take care of the homelessness. We can take care of the mental health component,” said Funk. “It’s going to change lives.”
He said the concept of offering wraparound care on a single campus is both timely and innovative.
“This couldn't have come at a better time,” Funk added. “We just need to get behind this, work with the province, and see this project finished.”