Our History

The dream for this drop-in began over in 1992 while the dreamer watched two young boys try to get into their house after school one day. No one was home so they got angry, kicked the door a few times, swore and took off somewhere. Where they went, I don't know, but what was birthed that day was a desire to provide a safe place for kids.

The dream turned into discussions between interested people who formed a Board of Directors. We decided to target children between the ages of six and twelve. There were and are only a few other organizations who work with this age group. The majority of groups focus on teens who are in gangs or are in danger of becoming involved in gangs. In 1998 a condemned, boarded -up building became available at 289 Manitoba Avenue. An interested participant purchased the building and provided ten thousand dollars for start-up costs. This money was used to replace the shingles, make the plumbing functional, take down some walls and clean up the entire house.

Volunteers built walls, replaced interior doors, repaired walls and painted the interior. In this process an activity room, two meeting rooms, and an office were created. The kitchen was also made to be functional. The second and third floor were prepared for rental.

Within the first year provisional permits were obtained, tenants were put in place and children were invited to after-school activities. Now children attend at ten sessions per week with the allowable eight children invited in at one time. City permits have been an ongoing challenge. Changes are required to allow the complete programming that is the dream of the Board.

Volunteers have provided materials and labor to provide wheel chair ramp access and to create a wheel chair accessible washroom complete with shower and laundry facilities. Currently volunteers are fire guarding the basement ceiling.

We consider the project to be a success because children are lining up at the door for sessions and we have gone to a sign-up system to give all children a fair chance at participating. In the last year we have had several parent comments, such as, "We would like to see more facilities like this in the community. My child is learning valuable lessons and forming positive relationships at Manitoba House."