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

A Winnipeg non-profit that supports people living with intellectual and physical disabilities is getting $8 million in federal funding for a major expansion of its building.

The funding for Direct Action in Support of Community Homes Incorporated (DASCH) will support an expansion to its building on Buffalo Place in southwest Winnipeg, which the organization moved into in 2023, its CEO said at a Wednesday funding announcement.

Karen Fonseth says the upgrades to the centre are currently in the conception phase, and will include the creation of a community hub, as well as a daycare in the building and eventually a medical clinic.

All areas of the building will employ people that have intellectual disabilities, said Fonseth.

The funding will also help improve accessibility in the building and integrate environmentally friendly features, DASCH said.

"We have not found anything that's even similar, so this is groundbreaking in our city and province.… Based on the research we did, it doesn't exist," said Fonseth.

"We look forward to the community it's going to foster and the enrichment it's going to bring to all of us."

DASCH has offered a number of programs to its participants for over 50 years, including specialized individual support, home support, and day programs and transportation.

Fonseth said the programs typically have long wait lists, especially DASCH Works, which helps participants find meaningful and gainful employment that fits their specific skills and talents.

"We have successful employment for people who want the work, and they have the right to work," she said.

"It's the normalization of being around people that are different that we in our lives don't necessarily have because everyone is separated."

Winnipeg South Centre member of Parliament Ben Carr, who was at Wednesday's funding announcement, said DASCH is "one of my favourite places in the riding and in the city."

"It demonstrates how to be inclusive, how to be tolerant, compassionate and how to build a community whose foundation is built on the basis of welcoming people regardless of who they are," said Carr.

The federal funding is coming through the government's green and inclusive community buildings program, which was launched in 2021.

DASCH also received $19 million from other funders, including the organization's own foundation, the DASCH Foundation, it said in a news release.

Fonseth said updates on timelines for the expansion of the building can be expected in the coming six weeks.