Adult and Teen Challenge officially opens new location for thrift store, community office

Adult and Teen Challenge Steinbach’s community office and Super Thrift Store held its opening ceremony on Saturday welcoming shoppers to its new location in Steinbach’s industrial park.

“The game changer is it will create stability and allow us to focus on doing the work that we do with excellence for the next 20 to 50 years without having to move, without having to wonder,” said ATC Pastor Daniel Emond. “It’s kind of like a home. It’s like getting a new home that we can build on for the future.”

Emond said there is a growing need for ATC’s services and the new building with its thrift store, vocational training opportunities, and community office is a way of meeting that need. “It’s game changing for the community and for the ministry of Adult and Teen Challenge in the Steinbach area in the Southeast region,” he said.

ATC purchased its new location at 16 Pioneer Drive in September 2025 and did a number of renovations to bring the building up to code to the specifications of what they wanted to do there.

The retail side of the 20,000 sq.ft. space will sell clothing, books, small household items and furniture, while the community office will provide space for counselling, intake, and act as a resource for those suffering from addiction and their families.

Students will also learn job skills as there is a commercial kitchen which will provide culinary training, an automotive shop to train students on repairing cars, students will also learn how to landscape, work in retail, and work in a warehouse.

ATC opened its community office in Steinbach in 2021 and it’s Westview Drive men’s campus with 30 beds in 2022.

Originally, ATC built its first thrift store in 2023 at 354 Main Street, but moved to its current location due to lack of parking, small retail space, and the potential of the roof collapsing from snow due to the six-storey building that is under construction next door. Its lease was also up in March.

In February 2025, the organization asked for the city to approve its move to 86 Industrial Road for the new community office and thrift store, but was denied because the developer wanted to rezone the land for retail and council felt that didn’t fit into an industrial park.

In July 2025, council switched course and approved the organization’s application to relocate to Pioneer Drive as there wouldn’t be much of a change in zoning except for an exemption in regards to a piece of land. Council placed a caveat on the approval that water service to the site be upgraded and that should the retail side of the building end, the organization’s permit to operate would also end.

“And after all is said and done, I completely agree with (council) and very thankful that they turned down the last one and supported this one,” said Emond.

The purchase of the current building was about $1.8 million with initial renovations costing more than $200,000. Further renovations have been put on hold until the organization can bring down or pay off its more than $2.1 million debt. Emond said normally ATC would fundraise to pay for new capital projects, such as the purchase of the Pioneer Drive building, but the agreement ATC had with seller enVision was that it couldn’t advertise it was purchasing the building and needed money until the sale was finalized.

“I know the last report said something about this is the biggest ministry of Teen Challenge. This is also the biggest mortgage debt that we’ve ever taken on to do this. But we believe in the community.

“We believe in the work that we’re doing there. We believe that the property was something that God had for us, that it was a very suitable property for what we want to do in our community outreach and in our vocational training and our Super Thrift Store,” said Emond.

The Main Street thrift store garnered about $1,500 a day, Emond estimates that the new location will double that amount, which will allow ATC to make a profit that can go to the men’s Westview Drive campus, whereas before they were just breaking even covering costs such as rent and salaries.

“We’re very excited for what the potential is there, what we can do. So, yeah, it should double the revenue as we can grow,” he said.

Emond said ATC is looking for donations for this capital project and is hoping the community, businesses, and churches will donate. He said ATC’s Steinbach page will have a donate button within the coming couple of weeks where people can go to donate.

“The greatest things would be people maybe committing to becoming a monthly partner to help us (with) covering the costs and running the programs…With capital campaigns, it’s really just sharing the story and the vision. So, what we do plan is in sharing the story and the vision of how many lives are going to be changed and transformed through this property and that people can be a part of that.”

ATC offers addiction supports for men and women in the Southeast and support to families with members who are addicts. Community support worker Richard Halverson, who has been in a leadership role with ATC Steinbach for more than three years and works in its community office, is also a student from ATC’s addiction program and has been sober for six years now.

Halverson said he was born into addiction as his parents were drug and alcohol addicts. He said he began using drugs and drinking alcohol at about age 10 and was bounced from foster homes to group homes during his young life until the age of 13 when he first became involved with the law. In his 20s he had entered gang life. He said his addiction issues centered around a lot of trauma and abandonment issues from childhood to the point where he felt like no one wanted him anymore.

In 2020, his life finally turned around as he was living on the streets in Thunder Bay and went to ATC for help. He credits his faith with helping him overcome his addiction. Currently, he is married and has a newborn, something he thought he would never have.

“We have a great life and I love what I do here. I have a career out of helping people with addictions and I myself struggled most of my life, so it’s kind of ironic,” he said.

Halverson said in his engagement with addicts, he meets them where they’re at. He said ATC is about community and that the men’s support group he leads had a record breaking 20 participants before the grand opening on Saturday. Halverson said the men come from all walks of life and “their struggle is anything life-controlling” and that some come from ATC’s men’s campus.

“Our mission is to offer a full range of addiction treatment and recovery services with compassion and excellence, right? And yeah, our vision is to see addiction end, new life begin, and freedom for all through Jesus Christ,” he said.

A part of programing for ATC students is to volunteer at the thrift store to gain work experience and build up their resume. One of those students is Justin Klassen.

Klassen had been in jail when he entered ATC programming in 2022. He completed it but eventually got into trouble with the law again and was sentenced to an additional two-and-a-half years in prison. He completed ATC’s programming for a second time, eventually becoming a staff member. Two months ago, he relapsed and is in “a refresher” and is hoping to become staff once again. Currently, he is helping with the renovations and maintenance of the thrift store.

Klassen said being in the addictions program with ATC is very difficult, challenging, and it tests your patience.

“Long-suffering. Any of those words you can use from the Bible, you’ll get them there. But at the same time, you’re surrounded by people that want to see you do good and love on you. Even when you stumble, they’re still there to help you pick up some pieces and move forward.”

Adult and Teen Challenge is a global Christian organization based in more than 129 countries. The central Canada region offers supports and rehabilitation for addictions in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Northwestern Ontario, through 22 locations, which includes thrift stores, vocational shops, men’s and women’s campuses, and community offices.