In 2005 NEWC, with the support of the Winnipeg Housing and Homelessness Initiative, started providing housing for chronically homeless single women. Since its beginning, our housing program has increased from two to eight low-rent units and has altered its focus to provide second-stage substance abuse recovery housing. Currently our housing program consists of Betty Berg House and two transitional housing units. Through the years the program has seen many women progress from homelessness to transitional to stable independent housing.
Clik HERE to download the brochure of the Betty Berg House.
Betty Berg House
Kitchen Area in Betty Berg House
This is a second stage substance abuse recovery facility. It provides a supportive environment for women to stay up to one year and reclaim their health and well being. Our participants enjoy the safety of the home-like atmosphere while increasing their life and relapse prevention skills and staying clean of addictive substances.
Betty Berg House offers:
- safe housing for up to one year for up to six women
- counselling and groups on site
- room and board
- free laundry
- free telephone service
- computer connected to Internet
- completely furnished individual rooms
- life skills: budgeting, menu planning, cooking, etc.
- advocacy for clients to communicate with EIA, CFS, Justice, and housing
- priority access for house participants to all North End Women’s Centre programs and services
- bathroom shared with another participant
We expect from the participants to:
- attend weekly groups on relapse prevention, self esteem, grief and loss, domestic abuse, and goal setting,
- attend weekly individual counselling and advocacy sessions, all provided on site,
- abstain from using addictive substances,
- do their own laundry,
- assist with grocery shopping, cooking, and group living chores,
- keep their personal space clean,
Our participants are:
- women at least 18 years old (the house settings are not suited for accommodating children),
- women that have attended and completed a treatment program within the last 12 months,
- able to pay Room and Board through EIA or themselves: room and board as per EIA standards,
- motivated to participate in mandatory individual counselling, relapse prevention, and self esteem groups,
- determined as low-risk by the program staff,
- willing to live in shared accommodations.
For more information about intakes contact the Betty Berg House staff directly at ross@newc.mb.ca or call NEWC at 589-7347.
Transitional Housing Units
NEWC operates an apartment with two low-rent transitional housing units for homeless women. Each suit has it’s own 3-piece washroom, a single bed, and an apartment-size refrigerator. The living room and kitchen are common areas. On-site laundry is available.
Each participant can stay for up to one year and obtain a good renting record for future housing.The units are situated very close to the Centre, which allows the women living in the units to benefit from all NEWC programs and services.
NEWC Social Change Agent manages the units: intakes, referrals, admittance and discharge of participants, etc. She also assists the women to stabilize their lives and, when ready, to find a good independent housing and reintegrate into the community.