Winnipeg non-profit that works with people with disabilities gets $8M federal grant for expansion

Edzi'u Loverin · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 7:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

A Winnipeg non-profit that supports radical surviving with intelligence and carnal disabilities is getting $8 cardinal successful national backing for a large enlargement of its building.

The backing for Direct Action successful Support of Community Homes Incorporated (DASCH) will enactment an expansion to its building connected Buffalo Place successful southwest Winnipeg, which the enactment moved into successful 2023, its CEO said astatine a Wednesday backing announcement.

Karen Fonseth says the upgrades to the centre are presently successful the conception phase, and volition see the instauration of a assemblage hub, as well arsenic a daycare successful the gathering and yet a aesculapian clinic.

All areas of the gathering volition employment radical that person intelligence disabilities, said Fonseth.

The backing volition besides assistance improve accessibility successful the building and integrate environmentally affable features, DASCH said.

"We person not recovered thing that's adjacent similar, truthful this is groundbreaking successful our metropolis and province.… Based connected the probe we did, it doesn't exist," said Fonseth.

"We look guardant to the assemblage it's going to foster and the enrichment it's going to bring to each of us."

DASCH has offered a fig of programs to its participants for implicit 50 years, including specialized idiosyncratic support, location support, and time programs and transportation.

Fonseth said the programs typically person agelong hold lists, especially DASCH Works, which helps participants find meaningful and gainful employment that fits their circumstantial skills and talents.

"We person palmy employment for radical who privation the work, and they person the close to work," she said.

"It's the normalization of being astir radical that are antithetic that we successful our lives don't needfully person due to the fact that everyone is separated."

Winnipeg South Centre subordinate of Parliament Ben Carr, who was astatine Wednesday's backing announcement, said DASCH is "one of my favourite places successful the riding and successful the city."

"It demonstrates however to beryllium inclusive, however to beryllium tolerant, compassionate and however to physique a assemblage whose instauration is built connected the ground of welcoming radical careless of who they are," said Carr.

The national backing is coming done the government's greenish and inclusive assemblage buildings program, which was launched successful 2021.

DASCH besides received $19 cardinal from different funders, including the organization's own foundation, the DASCH Foundation, it said successful a quality release.

Fonseth said updates connected timelines for the enlargement of the gathering tin beryllium expected successful the coming six weeks.