"24/7 support" is on a lot of program pages. It can sound like someone will be watching you all the time. Or it can sound like a promise nobody can keep.

Here's what it means at New Steps, in plain words. This is for young people thinking about an Independent Living Program (ILP), and for the workers and families helping them decide.

What does 24/7 support mean in an Independent Living Program?

At New Steps Independent Living Program (ILP) in Winnipeg, 24/7 support and assistance means young people 16 to 21 can reach our team at any hour. You live on your own, usually in your own one-bedroom apartment. Office hours are weekdays, 9 to 5, and urgent calls are answered any time. There is no cost to you. Call 431-444-2114.

It's a team you can reach, not someone sitting in your apartment.
Youth Life Skills Coaches visit and stay in touch.
It's not a crisis line, and it's not same-day housing. See Get Help.

It starts with your own place

The usual path at New Steps is your own one-bedroom apartment. Most young people move straight into their own fully furnished apartment. Some start in a shared home first, then move into an apartment when they're ready. Placement is by need, not age, so a 16- or 17-year-old who is ready can start in an apartment too.

That matters for what "support" means. You run your own day. You cook, you clean, you manage your budget, and you have your own visitors, the same as anyone living on their own. Support is there so you don't have to figure all of it out alone.

See how the three phases work and what the apartments are like.

What 24/7 support and assistance is

A team you can reach at any hour. Young people at New Steps have 24/7 support and can reach our team at any hour. The number is 431-444-2114.

Office hours, plus urgent calls any time. The phone line is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Outside those hours, urgent calls are answered any time.

Coaches who show up. Youth Life Skills Coaches visit regularly and stay in touch. They teach the everyday stuff nobody sat down and taught you: cooking, groceries, a budget, getting ID, getting ready for school or work.

Help that fits what's going on. New Steps uses a trauma-informed, harm-reduction approach. You don't have to be sober to get in. If you need clinical support, the team connects you with it and works with your worker.

People who've been checked. All New Steps staff have Criminal Record Checks and Child Abuse Registry checks.

Support that doesn't stop at 21. In the last phase, it's weekly check-ins with program staff, help finding affordable housing, and a real plan after 21. After you leave, you can still call us, so independence is not a cliff.

What 24/7 support is not

Being clear about this is part of the support.

It's not someone in your apartment. Support is around if you need it, day or night. It's not staff sitting in your suite.
It's not a crisis line. New Steps office hours are not a crisis line. If you are in danger, call 911.
It's not a fast way to reach us by form or email. Forms, emails and messages are read during business hours only. If something can't wait, call.
It's not medical care. If what you need right now is treatment, detox or medical care, an Independent Living Program is not a substitute for it.
It's not same-day housing. There's always a conversation and a tour first. When a place opens up, moving in can take about a week at the fastest.

What a week can look like

This is a composite example. It is not one real young person's story.

On Tuesday, a coach comes by. You go through your grocery list and the week's budget, and you book a time to work on your ID application.

On Thursday night, your smoke alarm starts chirping and won't stop. It's late, and you don't know if it's a dead battery or something worse. You call 431-444-2114, and someone answers and talks it through with you.

On the weekend, a friend visits. Nobody signs them in for you. You manage your own visitors, like anyone living on their own.

At the next coach visit, you bring up the smoke alarm and learn how to change the battery yourself.

That's the idea. You do the living. The support is there when you need it, and it helps you need it a little less over time.

Why this kind of support fits leaving care

Manitoba's CFS Standards Manual says leaving-care planning starts by 15, and that "the plan must involve the assessment and development of skills needed for adult living." One thing it lists is being able to "secure safe and appropriate housing with additional support."

An Independent Living Program is one way to get both: a real place of your own, and a team you can reach while you build the skills to keep it.

Who it's for, and how it starts

New Steps is for young people 16 to 21 who are involved with CFS and are in Winnipeg or can move here. Anyone can reach out, including you. To move in, you need to be involved with CFS, because placements are funded and approved through your agency.

There is no cost to you or your family.
First, a call with you and your worker. Then a tour.
When a place opens up, moving in can take about a week at the fastest.
If you move in, your progress, safety and needs are shared with your caseworker and placing agency. You're told this when you move in.

See who can join. Workers: start at Professionals or the referral process.

It's not same-day, and it's not a crisis service. If you're in danger, call 911, and see Get Help for the 24/7 crisis and support lines.

Questions young people ask

Will someone be in my apartment all the time?

No. You live on your own, usually in your own one-bedroom apartment. Support is around if you need it, day or night, but it's not staff sitting in your suite. Youth Life Skills Coaches visit and stay in touch, and you can reach the team at any hour.

Can I call New Steps in the middle of the night?

Yes, for urgent calls. The line, 431-444-2114, is open Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, and urgent calls are answered any time. It's not a crisis line. If you're in danger, call 911. The crisis lines on our Get Help page are open 24/7.

Is the online form checked 24/7?

No. Forms, emails and messages are read during business hours only, so they're not the way to reach us fast. If something can't wait, call 431-444-2114. If you're in danger, call 911.

Does 24/7 support cost anything?

No. There is no cost to you or your family. New Steps is funded through your CFS agency, which arranges and approves the placement.

Does support end when I turn 21?

Not all at once. Near 21, you get weekly check-ins, help finding affordable housing and a real plan after 21. After you leave, you can still call us, so independence is not a cliff.

One last thing

Support works best when you know exactly what you're getting. At New Steps, that's your own apartment when a place opens up, Youth Life Skills Coaches who visit, and 24/7 support and assistance from a team you can reach at any hour. Call us at 431-444-2114. We'll talk it through with you.

Sources

New Steps program facts (all live pages, fetched 2026-10-19):

Outside source:

CFS Standards Manual 1.1.7, Preparing Youth for Leaving Care (approved 2022/06/30)

What 24/7 support looks like in an Independent Living Program