The INN applies to create transitional housing bylaw

A Steinbach housing non-profit has submitted an application to add transitional housing to the city’s list of permitted buildings, after city officials prevented the group from applying under its assisted living bylaw.

The INN, or Initiative for Neighbourly Nights, submitted a proposed transitional housing definition on March 20. Steinbach doesn’t have transitional housing included in its bylaws.

The non-profit is a transitional housing project that will provide wrap-around care and on-site medical support for the city’s homeless population. The roughly $1.75-million project would be located at Main Street near Kroeker Avenue.

Lisa Livingstone Clark, The INN’s vice chair, said the application was filed to prevent any further delays because city officials refused to meet with the group. Steinbach administration previously told The INN it couldn’t apply under the assisted living bylaw, despite the existing definition not ruling out the group’s project.

“We were disappointed that that meeting didn’t happen, but we understood that their end goal was for us to apply to amend the bylaws to add a new category for us,” she said.

The new transitional housing definition describes the building as “supportive, temporary, and immediate accommodation for individuals and/or families experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, combined with case-managed wrap-around services, aimed at helping them transition to long-term, permanent housing.”

This is the second time The INN has faced a new bylaw being made specifically for their project. In January, Steinbach’s council passed an emergency shelter bylaw, which would require a public hearing. The Carillon previously reported that members from The INN said the city council cancelled meetings with the group and didn’t consult the non-profit on the bylaw before it was created.

The INN attempted to apply under an assisted living permit, but officials told the non-profit it didn’t fit how the administration interpreted the definition, citing it only applied to seniors.

Livingstone said she believes the city is requiring the project to fall under conditional use not because of the building’s impact, but instead because of the residents living there.

“We just have a strong belief that we already have people in our community who are unhoused, and they are members of our community, and that they have a right to safe housing, just like everybody else,” she said.

The non-profit paid $2,560 to submit the application. A Steinbach official told The Carillon the city received the application, and the proposed definition will have its first reading on April 21. If it passes first reading, The INN could wait another six to nine months before a public hearing is held.

Livingstone Clark said the group asked both federal and provincial governments, which offered more than $800,000 in annual operational funding and initial capital dollars for the project, for an extension due to the delay. Approval for the request hasn’t been granted yet, she said, but the non-profit is confident the funding would be available if they need to reapply.

If Steinbach’s councillors and the mayor vote down the first reading, Livingstone Clark isn’t sure what more the non-profit can do to get the project approved.