Clinic helps rural Manitobans access wide range of services close to home

Manitobans living outside of Winnipeg who need services the most often don't drive and have no way to get to them. Sometimes, they don't even know what's available. A group of 20 service providers in Steinbach called the Southeast Equity Coalition is aiming to solve that issue by bringing government and community services under one roof for the people who need them. Mohamed Mohamed is a refugee from Somalia living in Steinbach who is at the services clinic trying to figure out the Canadian tax system. You don't need to run all the way to Winnipeg, right? You don't have to go back and forth, right? I mean, you have all these people in one place and it's very helpful. Also information, they say information is power, right? Emily Luchuk heard about the clinic from soups on. The Steinbach soup kitchen she uses where the clinic was held this week. She needed help accessing disability and dental benefits, financial counselling and finding a job as a cook. For me, because I have a disability, it would just make a lot of things easier because it's kind of hard to get a job without a job coach and this and that. You know what I mean? People no longer have to wait weeks to get the ID and information required to access services and benefits. It's really convenient too when there's different service providers right beside each other, so if you need your proof of income from CRA prior to being able to apply for something, you just pop over and next door they'll print it for you and come back to your table. So many people in one place willing to help fill out frustrating paperwork had Luchuk looking forward to what comes next. I just hope that everybody else in this room feels as blessed as I do today. The Southeast Equity Coalition is planning its next services clinic on January 20th, here at the Steinbach Community Outreach Clinic, an organization that helps people struggling with poverty and homelessness. Christopher Giroux, CBC News, Steinbach.