The Coordinator for Headway in Steinbach says their program is helping to free up the time of RCMP officers, allowing them to focus on other matters of urgency.
Heidi Harder Falk explains that Headway is a community mobilization organization that has been in Steinbach since 2016. It started as a support program for youth who were engaging in at-risk activities or lifestyles. She notes Headway builds a wraparound support team around the individual, creating space for all those involved to come together. This includes the youth and caregiver and then the different organizations that Headway partners with, such as RCMP, Probation Services, Child and Family Services, Hanover School Division, Shared Health, Southern Health-Sante Sud, mental health, and the Addictions Foundation.
"We look to have monthly team meetings," says Harder Falk. "And those are the spaces where everyone has a chance to share, we problem solve, identify goals and action steps and just how we can be a support and keep things moving forward and just facilitate those different areas of safety and well-being and growth for the individual client, for the family and through that, the community as well."
The program underwent a significant change in 2019. It was that year when Manitoba Justice contacted them to ask if they could expand their services in order to start working with adults as well. For six years now, Headway has also been working with justice-involved adults, through what is known as the Re-START program. These are adults who are tired of their lifestyle and are seeking help. There is also a START Families program that works with perpetrators of domestic violence.
Harder Falk says in October of this last year, they welcomed Laura Malmquist to the team as Re-START Coordinator.
"It's been great to have her," says Harder Falk. "She really dove right into the role and has been building some great connections with some of the supports and agencies we're already connected with. As well, building new connections, doing a lot of presentations, and reaching out, and has been able to really start doing some great work with our adult clients."
Malmquist says she spent quite a few years working in the field of mental health and addictions. Malmquist says consistently she was drawn to the gaps in services available for individuals involved in the justice system, including barriers to employment. She says when she saw the job posting for the Re-START Coordinator position, she decided to apply as it aligned with her core values. She understood the position to mean working specifically with individuals involved in the justice system and helping coordinate supports while providing advocacy and connections.
"It's been super awesome," says Malmquist of her first six months on the job. "It's a very welcoming environment being here with Heidi."
Malmquist says while learning the ropes, she has been able to reach out to organizations to help spread the word of the Re-START program, noting the program launched around the time of the pandemic, when outreach was limited.
Harder Falk says in 2024, they had the opportunity to work with 16 youth clients and 18 adult clients. She notes for a portion of last year they were down a coordinator until Malmquist joined. In addition, they were involved in more than 80 consultations. Harder Falk says while majority of these clients are from Steinbach, about one-quarter to one-third of them are from surrounding communities that would largely make up the Hanover School Division catchment area.
Harder Falk says some of the bigger issues and challenges facing their clients these days include behaviour struggles, involvement with the justice system, mental health concerns, substance abuse, and custody and child welfare issues that could include domestic violence. She adds there are a lot of great resources and supports available in Steinbach and area, and a great desire from all of them to want to work together.
"Which is really great to see and be a part of," she says. "Just wanting to address challenges proactively and so that's been great."
Harder Falk says one initiative that has been very well received has been their parent support group, which has been running in fall the last couple of years. She notes they have been receiving great feedback around the education component, as well as the practical support, community connection building, and opportunities to problem-solve and brainstorm together.
According to Harder Falk, through their work, they have seen a 35 to 57 per cent drop in police occurrences. She notes this is great to be able to free up time for police to work on other files. And, when it comes to an individual who might be engaging in high-risk kinds of activities or vulnerability, they are seeing savings of more than $5.30 for every $1 spent in this line of work.
"Benefits again not just for them and their families but also for the community as a whole, which is really great," she adds.
Harder Falk says one of their success stories involves a former youth client who moved to our area from a northern community. There were concerns related to school attendance, gang affiliation, justice system involvement, substance abuse, and a risk of being trafficked.
"CFS was closely involved, there had been multiple unsuccessful placements, lots of trauma, mental health concerns," she adds.
Harder Falk recalls that they were told by this individual's support worker that they would last one week in Headway and then run off. She says they started by connecting her to school supports, therapy, and addiction supports to supplement existing agency involvement.
Harder Falk says it ended up being an amazing story, where this individual formed a really close relationship with her new caregiver, and built trust with the different agencies involved, including herself.
"The change was just incredible, it still blows my mind," admits Harder Falk. "Police involvement ended entirely, substance use dropped to not being used for coping, they graduated from high school, and they have been working, their mental health stabilized,"
Not only that, but she says that even after her probation was successfully completed, she still dropped by to say hi to her probation officer. Harder Falk says there is now a lot of hope for her future.
Harder Falk says with this particular client, there were a couple of individuals who really took on close mentorship roles, almost to the point of parenting. And she says this individual thrived in that environment.
Malmquist says it is humbling to be involved in a success story like this.
"It's them who is doing the work and we get to be kind of that cheerleader alongside them and hold that space for them when they are maybe not able to hold space for themselves," she says.
And then, when a client has a win like that, which could be getting a job, or a breakthrough in clarity, she feels genuine happiness and excitement, calling it an incredibly rewarding position to be in.