WINNIPEG, MB – The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ aims to provide a vibrant, healthy downtown, which places its highest priority on quality of life for everyone. Among its many programs and services, the BIZ runs preventative outreach programs, such as CHAT.
What is CHAT?
The Community Homeless Assistance Team (CHAT) is dedicated to performing comprehensive outreach to individuals at-risk of, or experiencing homelessness in downtown Winnipeg. As the only service that has a regular presence on the downtown streets, CHAT Outreach workers develop trusting relationships with our homeless community through front line intervention. The Team is unique in their approach in that their relationships are built on the streets – at places where individuals are most comfortable and feel a sense of familiarity.
The CHAT Team plays a vital role in connecting the homeless community with social agencies that:
o Connect to permanent housing options
o Enhance wellness
o Provide addictions support
o Provide educational support
o Help find employment
How is CHAT Unique?
CHAT is the only program connecting services in the Winnipeg community that is meeting clients where they are at, figuratively and literally, through this unique outreach model. CHAT Outreach Workers aim to empower and motivate the individual through continuous relationship building efforts to access and retain the necessary assistance so steps can be made in working towards improving circumstances, while harnessing opportunities that lead to permanent housing.
The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ continues to champion, advocate, research and support stakeholders who will focus on changing the systems related to the broader community challenges related to poverty, mental health, homelessness and harms related to addiction.
For more information about the CHAT Program and other programs and services that the BIZ offers, visit www.downtownwinnipegbiz.com.
By Downtown Winnipeg BIZ
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