You're 16 to 21 and you need a place. Or you're a worker who has to put a name on a referral this week. That's who this is for.
New Steps is an Independent Living Program in Winnipeg. The usual path is your own one-bedroom apartment. Some people start in a house first, then move into that apartment. Support is around if you need it, day or night. Not staff sitting in your suite. You cook. You budget. We help because that's what we do. We teach you how to cook, how to budget, how to buy groceries, how to live on your own. We help you get to school, get IDs, get a bank account, get your life in order.
We work with young people 16 to 21 who are in or leaving CFS care. There is no cost to you or your family. Your CFS agency funds and approves the placement.
If you need somewhere tonight, this is not it. Call 911 if you are in danger. Get Help on this site lists the Manitoba Suicide Prevention line, Klinic, and Kids Help Phone. If you need a place you can walk through, and a move-in when a unit is open, call us.
About 625 young people age out of care in Manitoba each year. We are one housing option in Winnipeg. We do not house all of them.
What it actually is
Not a waitlist with no address. A home, and a path to keeping one after you leave.
Most people here get their own apartment. Some start in a house with their own room, then move into an apartment when they're ready. Independent living. Residents look after themselves, with 24/7 support. Some homes have a house monitor who looks after the home, not the residents.
We teach the day-to-day: groceries, cooking, money, school, IDs, banking. We help you get set up so you are not starting from zero when you leave. Agencies already know that is the point. A real plan after 21, not a handshake at the door.
Cultural connection is part of how the program is designed, with ties to First Nations and Métis communities across Manitoba. We are building our Elder advisory and cultural programming with community partners now. Offered. Never assigned.
Who can come
16 to 21 when you move in. You live in Winnipeg or you can relocate. You're involved with CFS: in care, leaving care, or on an extension of care. And you'll actually take part: show up, keep house agreements, work on goals that are yours.
Anyone can reach out. A CFS or agency worker can refer you, or you can call yourself. To move in, you need to be involved with CFS, because placements are funded and approved through your agency. The next step is a call with you and your worker.
An Agreement with Young Adults (AYA) is what Manitoba agencies usually call an extension of care after 18. If you have one, if it's in progress, or if nobody has raised it yet, talk to us and your worker. Living here does not replace it or cancel it.
The province already tells case managers that every young person in care should have a transition plan at 15. That is their standard. It is not a promise we have an apartment waiting. We are one door in Winnipeg when that plan needs an address.
The three phases
Phase 1, Foundations (16+). A lot of people start in a house. Own room, then the move into an apartment. 24/7 support. We teach cooking, groceries, budget, life skills. Cultural connection, with Elder programming being built with community partners. A place, your own routine, people you can reach.
Phase 2, Transitional living. Your own apartment. A one-bedroom you practise living in. Support during business hours, on call after that. Help with school or work, IDs, a bank account, getting around. A weekly living allowance if you meet program expectations, plus grocery help.
Phase 3, Independent living (around 21). Still supported, now pointed at leaving well. Check-ins. Help finding affordable housing. A plan you can actually take with you, not a cliff at 21. A way to reach someone if things go sideways.
We run 31 furnished units across three buildings, many of them two-bedroom, plus other program homes in Winnipeg. That's today's count. Not a vacancy ad.
After 21
The program is 16 to 21. The work is getting you ready for after that. Help finding a place you can afford. A plan, IDs, a bank account, school or work already in motion. That is what referring agencies want to see, and it is what we work toward.
We also want the next step to be real housing, not a hope. New Steps is building toward affordable housing of our own, buildings young people can move into after they leave the program. That is the goal. It is not a building we can hand you today.
What it is not
Not same-day. Tour first. When a place is open, a referral can move in about a week. When we're full, we say so.
Not a crisis line. Not the agency that grants an AYA. Your CFS agency decides that. We can sit in the conversation.
We do not ask you to show up with ID, income, a diagnosis, a clean record, or a finished plan. Those are things we work on here.
How to start
Call 431-444-2114. Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. Urgent calls get answered any time.
16 to 21: /get-help. We will set up a call with you and your worker.
CFS or agency worker: /professionals. The form asks whether the young person is involved with CFS, their first name or initials, and your contact details. Have their legal status, any extension of care, and the case-plan goals handy for the joint call. We get back within two business days and book a tour.
If we are not the right fit, we will say so early. We will not leave you hanging.
