Fountain Street Neighbours
263 Fountain Street R3A 0Z5 Winnipeg, MB, Canada

There’s a free, over-the-phone program ...for lower income people with simple tax situations and there's no need to leave home - it's all done over the phone, and for free! The number to call is 204 989-1913 and here's a link for more information:

Success rises within Neechi Commons shell By: Niigaan Sinclair Late one night, around Christmas, I got a message from someone I’d long-worried about.... "Hey professor," it began, "How are u?" It was Jeff (not his real name), my former student from Sagkeeng First Nation, who I wrote about in the Free Press a year ago. I hadn’t seen him since, even after spending weeks looking for him after his home was removed by City of Winnipeg officials in last winter’s purge of downtown tent cities. Jeff is addicted to meth and has been since 2018, after finishing his second year at university. What started out as a small, weekend habit turned into a daily, debilitating force he uses to cope with past (and present) trauma. Virtually no one enters addiction without some sort of mental health issue. Drugs, alcohol, and gambling are coping mechanisms, self-medications. Jeff’s story is his to tell, but it’s got it all: abuse, violence, racism. It’s a credit to his family and community he didn’t use drugs until he was alone in the city. "Professor, I want to get clean," Jeff wrote. "I want to be a student again." "Where are you?" I responded. "I can help." I found Jeff at Sscope, the non-profit organization that has taken over the 50,000-square-foot building at 865 Main St., formerly known as Neechi Commons. As requested, I brought him bedsheets, boots, and winter clothes. "All of my stuff was stolen," he said. "I got beat up for my backpack." On my third visit, Jeff introduced me to his girlfriend. He told me he is working, helping with odd jobs around the building. He said he’s been clean for weeks. "I’m trying, professor. I’m trying." I’ve seen Jeff four times since, bringing him food and toiletries. Last week, I told him I can bring some books when he feels ready to read again. "Are you going to quiz me?" he said with a laugh. While Jeff has many steps to go to get back to where he was, he is in a safe place, surrounded by people like him, who believe in him. He has direction, meaning, hope. He has a community. This is a story familiar to the Sscope Inc. (Self-Starting Creative Opportunities for People in Employment), the social enterprise organization headed by executive director Angela McCaughan. Since 1991, Sscope has provided direct, front-line mental health support for individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as what it calls "purpose": training, jobs, and resources to build a healthy and positive well-being. After the COVID-19 pandemic started, the organization transitioned into offering housing, converting its building into a temporary shelter. Running out of space, McCaughan negotiated a one-year lease last August to take over the former co-operative grocery, art store, and restaurant which closed in 2018, after being unable to cover nearly $4 million in debt. "We couldn’t have found a more perfect home for what we are trying to do," McCaughan said. Walking in, you can’t tell the difference between the nearly 60 clients and staff in the building. They are one in the same. Most are Indigenous, around 80 per cent. People shovel snow, work jobs, and clean the facility. In exchange, they have access to laundry facilities, computers, showers, and a bed to sleep in. The feeling of community is deep. People share clothing, food, and look after one another. There are dorm rooms, a safe space for LGBTTQ+ people, and shared spaces to live, work, and eat together. McCaughan is not Indigenous, but the chairperson of the Sscope board, Louise Rowlands, is. Because the staff are also clients, most are Indigenous and run Indigenous programming sharing circles, smudging ceremonies, beadwork classes, and art and cooking lessons (following pandemic health protocols). The building is visited by Indigenous-led organizations such the Mama Bear Clan. Culturally-aware mental health supports through the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority also operate in the building. Sscope has even put its long-term plans to rent units on hold, due to the recent cold snap, which involved it going over its planned capacity. "We had to," McCaughan said. "If we are going to create community here, we had better step up when they need us." Taking up much of the first floor is the thrift store, located in the former grocery store and full to the brim with clothes and household materials for public shopping. (It takes donations, too.) Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE TO COVID-19 BRIEFING There are plans to open up the former second-floor restaurant, and even a bike shop in the summer, too. "We’d like to buy this building, if we can," McCaughan said. "We just need some help." It was a real tragedy to lose Neechi Commons, a former Indigenous success story. Sscope, however, is a community success story unto itself. Just ask Jeff. [email protected]

great news - we now distribute fentanyl test strips as part of our safer drug use supplies stash! thanks to Bryce, Chance, & Jonny (Manitoba Harm Reduction Network) for your help along the way (please note we are not a testing site)

Expecting and need help? YCSAB is here for YOU! -Are you pregnant and currently reside in Manitoba? -Are you living in poverty, getting Employment and Income As...sistance or Disability, or having trouble making ends meet? -Do you need baby clothes and baby items? We are here to support you! Visit https://youcantspoilababy.org/need-a-gift/request-a-gift/ to apply #YCSAB #youcantspoilababy #weloveourdonors #weloveourvolunteers #weloveourcommunity #volunteer #makeadifference #community204 #givingback #supportingcommunities #familiesgivingback #manitobamoms #fundraising #manitobafamilies #204support #mbfamilies #supportmbfamilies #winnipegfamilies

Critical Red Update for Central Neighbourhoods Winnipeg: As Winnipeg heads into critical code red, we are expanding our door service to be Monday, Wednesday, Fr...iday from 10:00am-4:00pm and Tuesday and Thursday 4:00-7:00pm. We are offering hot drinks and snacks to go, mittens, masks, and the regular care kits. Just knock, step back, and get what you need. Thank you from the staff and volunteers here at Central Neighbourhoods Winnipeg located at 231 Isabel Street.

Looking for size 16 winter boots!

We have a client in need of a metal raised bed frame and twin mattress, pref. new but otherwise clean and pest free. Thank you. It would help this community member a lot!

This sounds like a great temp job!

Are you struggling to buy pet food? No animal should go hungry, so we've set up the WHS Emergency Food Bank for pet owners in crisis. If you're experiencing job... loss, financial hardship or homelessness, you qualify for this program and we can help you feed your pet. There are several ways to apply: https://bit.ly/3cLzYtS