Steinbach City Council · Jan 2022 – Sept 2026

Homelessness in Steinbach: what's been done, and what could be

How many people are homeless in Steinbach? What has council done about it, what reasons has it given for not doing more, and what are councils in similar cities doing?

Quotes from council meetings link to their timestamp on YouTube; news and agency sources are linked. Last updated Oct 13, 2026.

Bottom line

The problem is visible but not counted. Steinbach has never done a homelessness count. Steinbach Community Outreach (SCO) estimates about 50 people (Sept 2026), and there is no low-barrier emergency shelter.
Council has helped some housing happen. It passed a $1.34M provincial grant to SCO for The Bridge (24 affordable units, opened 2023) and endorsed SCO and Eden's 30-unit supportive housing project. Neither involved city money.
Its main action has been regulation. It made emergency shelters (2025–26) and transitional housing (2026) “conditional uses” that need a public hearing, against its planning consultant's advice. The INN's transitional housing project, first planned in 2023, still had no permit as of September 2026.
Council's reasons: homelessness “doesn't fall under municipal jurisdiction,” the city lacks expertise, other governments are “downloading” costs, taxpayers shouldn't fund social programs, and neighbours deserve a say.
Peer councils use tools Steinbach doesn't: per-unit housing grants, tax breaks, land for $1, a staff coordinator, homelessness counts, and cold-weather shelters. Brandon, Thompson and Lloydminster all do some of these.

Part 1 · The council record

What council has done

Affordable and supportive housing, with other governments' money

In 2021–22 the province gave Steinbach $1,337,500 to allocate to an affordable housing project. Council chose SCO's proposal and approved its parking variance against staff advice. The Bridge's 24 units opened in late 2023.

“In 2007, we were helping 20 individuals out of our small corner of our church, and today we are helping 765 individuals per year … Affordable housing is a need in Steinbach that goes way beyond the 24 units we are asking for. However, it is a start.”

I.K., SCO executive director, delegation to council · Mar 1, 2022 · 0:17:05

“the first one is showing really good success in terms of helping people who are housing vulnerable, who have mental health challenges, and it's working.”

Councillor Susan Penner, endorsing The Bridge on Third · May 5, 2026 · 0:17:30

“project will directly address a critical gap in our community. First with homelessness, the frequent hospital visits as well, and emergency demands, emergency service demands”

Mayor Earl Funk · May 5, 2026 · 0:21:10

“The transitional housing in Steinbach is critical. It's needed. Should have happened a long time ago. Wish it would have come to council a long time ago.”

Councillor Jac Siemens, as council added transitional housing to the zoning bylaw · Jun 2, 2026 · 1:12:48

Encampments: handled case by case

“We cannot have people simply encamping, um, in, uh, in, in areas like that in Steinbach. It's not safe, uh, not appropriate, and that's the universal feedback that I've heard from people, and I, I agree with that feedback.”

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra · Sept 17, 2024 · 0:35:44

“did serve a formal trespass notice to all of the individuals that were present on the property as of September 5th, and it is my understanding that as of Monday, September 16th, that all individuals had left or otherwise vacated that property.”

Troy Warkentin, City Manager, on the encampment at 447 Main St. · Sept 17, 2024 · 0:37:15

“I would like to have, I think, a documented written policy.”

Mayor Earl Funk, asking staff for an encampment policy · Sept 17, 2024 · 0:44:09

Follow-through

Date	What happened
Mar–Aug 2022	Council approves SCO's parking variance (R22-052), the $1.34M provincial grant (R22-161) and Bylaw 2210 for The Bridge. All unanimous.
Nov 15, 2022	SCO asks for $65,000 for The Bridge; the request is “received as information,” with no funding motion.
Feb 6, 2024	Province funds a Community Safety and Well-Being plan ($60,000 for Steinbach). A Southeast Helping Hands request for $245,000 is received as information.
Sept 17, 2024	Council asks staff to report on how other cities handle homelessness and encampments. No report appears at a later recorded meeting.
Dec 3, 2024	Council directs that emergency shelters become a conditional use, prompted by The INN's plan for 447 Main St. (R24-234).
Apr 1, 2025	Zoning bylaw hearing: 49 written objections and 10 letters of support. The planning consultant (WSP) had recommended shelters stay a permitted use (The Carillon).
Jan 20, 2026	Bylaw passes third reading (R26-015) after the Municipal Board review.
Feb 2026	The city refuses The INN's application under the “assisted living” category: a 12-room, $1.75M project with about $650,500 in government funding that is paid only once a permit is issued (The Carillon).
Mar 2026	Final Community Safety and Well-Being plan. Its housing goals include “Create a shelter space/emergency housing in Steinbach” (plan).
May 5, 2026	Council endorses SCO and Eden's “Bridge on Third,” 30 supportive units (R26-096). Endorsement only, with no city money, land or fee waivers.
Jun 2, 2026	Transitional housing added to the zoning bylaw as a conditional use (R26-111, R26-112). No one spoke at the hearing.
Jun 30, 2026	The mayor and Councillor Susan Penner meet the provincial Housing Minister about mental-health supports and affordable housing (SteinbachOnline).
Jul 21, 2026	A $200,000 provincial safety grant can fund “affordable housing and homelessness”; staff recommend a second safety-officer truck ($65K) and cameras ($135K). The decision was deferred to committee.

Their reasons for not doing more

1Homelessness isn't a municipal responsibility

“But a direct homeless strategy, it doesn't fall under municipal jurisdiction.” … “But there's so much going on and downloading from other levels of government that there are things we are assuming that we shouldn't be assuming.”

Mayor Earl Funk, asked whether council has a homelessness strategy · Apr 1, 2025 · 1:42:22

“city administration has to date approached this particular matter as it's a community-based issue. It's not a City of Steinbach as an organization issue.”

Troy Warkentin, City Manager · Sept 17, 2024 · 0:44:55

“that's usually the province's— it's usually in their basket. But more and more they're looking to the municipalities to take care of that, right? And so we do have to be careful with those kinds of things.”

Mayor Earl Funk, on affordable housing · Mar 18, 2025 · 1:22:33

Context

In February 2026 the mayor “stood by comments he's previously made over homelessness not being a municipal issue.” He declined to comment on why Steinbach funds no transitional housing or homeless services when Winnipeg funds encampment outreach ($275,000) and Brandon offers capital grants (The Carillon). The province's own plan, Your Way Home (2025), has so far housed people only in Winnipeg and has not expanded to other communities (CBC). See Finding 3 for what's within a city's power.

2The city lacks expertise and should leave it to agencies and churches

“There are many factors related to homelessness, and it can run an extremely broad range of specific issues that the city has no knowledge of, experience of, or expertise in, in dealing with. … What the City of Steinbach, through its administration, tries to do is be a facilitator”

Troy Warkentin, City Manager · Sept 17, 2024 · 0:45:28

“And is this a social issue that we have to now deal with, start to be involved with? How many tax dollars do we put towards social issues. We do have a lot of good social services in Steinbach that are run through donations and various organizations, including our churches.”

Councillor Jac Siemens · Sept 17, 2024 · 0:39:54

“We mean well, but we don't know what we're dealing with. … If these people are to be helped, I think they need to be helped by an organization that understands their needs”

Mayor Earl Funk · Sept 17, 2024 · 0:47:40

“donate to good organizations such as Steinbach Community Outreach, Helping Hands, Soups On … because we don't want these encampments to continue. … because we can't ask our staff, they're not going to solve this problem”

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra · Sept 17, 2024 · 0:41:58

Context

Agencies say they can't do it all. SCO's current director told CBC in September 2026 that her organization, which serves 1,400 lower-income families, can't do it all alone (CBC). Agency requests to the city ($65,000 from SCO in 2022, $245,000 from Helping Hands in 2024) were received as information. Fourteen local churches wrote to council in 2024 asking it to act (The Carillon).

3Neighbours deserve a say on where shelters go

“The need for this change was recognized when the Inn announced that they intend to build an overnight homeless shelter on Main Street … First, it will allow those most impacted by the addition of an emergency residential shelter to have a way to officially voice their concerns.”

Councillor Susan Penner · Dec 3, 2024 · 0:16:38

“Because within a designated zone, many smaller areas with certain characteristics and cultures can occur, which may not be conducive to have an emergency shelter in the near vicinity.”

Councillor Damian Penner · Dec 3, 2024 · 0:19:50

“As, as the project was announced, uh, there was, there was a lot of people that came to see councillors. … We put it as a conditional use so that we can actually hear from the people.”

Mayor Earl Funk · Apr 1, 2025 · 1:39:51

“This is the type of facility that could change the character of a neighbourhood, and when you have something that could change the character of a neighbourhood, it makes sense to have a public hearing. … So I would not support it being a permitted use”

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra, on transitional housing · Apr 21, 2026 · 0:48:45

Context

The volunteer group behind the project warned that the label mattered for funding:

“the Manitoba and Canadian government will not fund emergency shelters. And so we would be looking at losing over $600,000 in potential funding if we are categorized as an emergency shelter.”

L.D., chair of The INN · Apr 1, 2025 · 1:23:50

The province's capital program, Housing Starts Here, excludes overnight-only emergency shelters, which is why The INN moved to a transitional model. Council later created a transitional-housing category, also as a conditional use. As of September 2026 The INN said “the only thing missing” was a city building permit. No conditional-use hearing for its site has appeared on a council agenda (CBC).

4Shelters don't meet the real need

“I could be convinced that places that provide food and people envisioning an overnight shelter on cold nights have the best of intentions. … However, this is not what the homeless are identifying to me as a need. … Steinbach does not have such adequate resources.”

Councillor Jake Hiebert, after speaking with people at local encampments · Sept 17, 2024 · 0:00:08

“Are we as a society enabling this culture to grow, or should our efforts and focus be more on addressing long-term issues such as mental health, shelters, and unemployment.”

Councillor Jake Hiebert · Oct 3, 2023 · 0:00:30

Context

Councillor Hiebert said the people he met wanted long-term housing, jobs, and mental-health and addiction help. That matches the evidence for “Housing First”: permanent housing plus support. In Canada's five-city At Home/Chez Soi trial, 62% of participants were stably housed versus 31% with usual services. For the highest-need group, every $10 spent saved about $21.72 in other costs (Mental Health Commission of Canada). The Bridge on Third and The INN's proposal are both housing-with-support models, not overnight shelters.

Part 2 · How Steinbach compares

Scorecard

How Steinbach's council response compares with what other municipal councils do, within the powers a Manitoba city has.

Strong ahead of or matching good practice On par typical practice Partial started, with gaps Gap common elsewhere, not done here

Measure	Steinbach	What others do	Rating
Counting the problem	No count. The new safety plan names a count as its measure but hasn't run one.	Brandon and Thompson count regularly. Winkler holds its first count in Nov 2026.	Gap
Helping affordable and supportive housing get built	Passed through a $1.34M provincial grant (The Bridge); endorsed The Bridge on Third. No city money, land or fee waivers.	Brandon: $20,000 per-unit grants, 100% development-charge offsets, 50% tax break for 20 years, city land for $1.	Partial
Emergency or cold-weather shelter	No low-barrier shelter. SCO's Today House had room for about 4 people, by referral (CBC, Jan 2026).	Lloydminster runs a city mobile warming shelter on extreme-cold nights. Cobourg (Ont.) bought a building for 35 beds.	Gap
Zoning and approvals	Created a transitional-housing category, but made it and shelters conditional uses against consultant advice. Refused The INN's assisted-living route.	Portage la Prairie extended a church's permit so a 6-bed shelter could reopen.	Partial
Staff and coordination	None. The safety plan recommends a coordinator; none has been hired.	Brandon has a housing and wellness coordinator. Thompson administers federal Reaching Home funds and runs one intake list matching people to housing.	Gap
Encampment response	Case by case through property owners, safety officers and RCMP. The written policy the mayor asked for hasn't appeared.	Manitoba's plan moves encampments only once housing is ready. Brandon runs joint outreach.	Partial
Lobbying the province	Mayor and councillor met the Housing Minister (June 2026).	Common practice.	On par

Key findings

1The problem is small enough to solve, if it's measured

SCO's estimate of about 50 people is roughly 25 per 10,000 residents. Canada's 2025 national count found 38 per 10,000 in communities under 100,000 (Everyone Counts 2025). The methods differ, so this is a rough comparison. Earlier estimates were 11 on the street in January 2025, and about 30 plus another 30 couch-surfing in September 2024. Without a count, no one can say whether it is growing. Councillor Siemens said in May 2026 that “all aspects of the city are growing, including our homeless population” (identified with medium confidence). Nine in ten Steinbach residents in a small CBC survey think it is getting worse.

2Zoning has been council's main tool, and it has slowed projects down

Council's biggest homelessness decisions were zoning changes that add a public hearing for any shelter or transitional housing. Council says this protects neighbours (Reason 3). But The INN, a volunteer project first planned in 2023, still had no permit in September 2026, and its government funding is paid only once a permit is issued. Portage la Prairie's council went the other way and extended a church's permit so a small shelter could reopen. Council did respond to The INN's request by creating a transitional-housing category in June 2026; the next step is a hearing on an actual site.

3“Not municipal jurisdiction” is only partly true

Health care, income assistance, social housing and shelter operating funds are provincial in Manitoba, and Reaching Home is federal. But councils control tools that decide whether projects get built:

Land: Brandon offered city land for $1 in a joint call for up to 48 units with the province.
Grants and tax breaks: Brandon's incentive program gives $20,000 per unit to projects with other government funding, waives development charges and gives a 50% tax break for 20 years (Brandon).
Staff and data: Thompson, a city of 13,000, runs federal homelessness funding locally, keeps a database and counts regularly.
Emergency response: Lloydminster runs a mobile warming shelter, 28 nights in winter 2024–25 with about 27 people a night.

Steinbach's own 2026 safety plan calls for “shelter space/emergency housing in Steinbach” and a coordinator, but assigns most actions to agencies.

4Outside money exists, but often needs the city's cooperation

Housing Starts Here (province): forgivable loans up to $70,000 per unit and proposal grants up to $250,000, with preference for rural projects (Manitoba).
Reaching Home, rural stream (federal, via the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation): about $1.95M across rural Manitoba in 2025–26. SCO received $101,130 for a housing support worker. It can fund transitional housing (BNRC).
The INN's ~$650,500 in applications is paid only once the city issues a permit.

5Enforcement capacity has grown faster than housing capacity

Since 2024 the city has added a second community safety officer and hired private security. For the 2026 provincial safety grant, staff recommended a truck and cameras, even though homelessness was an eligible use. Mental Health Act calls to the RCMP rose from 251 to 311 year-to-date between 2025 and 2026 (Sept 15, 2026 · 0:13:10). Enforcement moves people along; it doesn't create places for them to go.

Municipality	Pop.	What council itself did	Result
Brandon, MB	~54,000	Per-unit grants, tax and fee incentives, land for $1, staff coordinator, joint outreach	Count 229 (2024) → 205 (2025), though chronic homelessness rose
Thompson, MB	~13,000	Runs federal Reaching Home locally; one intake list; regular counts	$1.7M+ federal funds since 2019; at least 215 counted (2024), 90% sheltered
Winkler, MB	~16,000	Community-led; first count Nov 2026	Central Commons housing (28 housed); women's transitional building opening 2027
Portage la Prairie, MB	~13,000	Extended a church's permit to reopen a 6-bed shelter	Local revitalization agency gets $315,100 in Reaching Home funds
Lloydminster, AB/SK	~32,000	City-run mobile warming shelter; $150K from reserves to prepare housing projects	28 cold-night activations, ~27 people each (2024–25)
Medicine Hat, AB	~63,000	Housing First plan, one intake list and a name-by-name list since 2010	First Canadian city at “functional zero” (2021); rising again after provincial cuts
Cobourg, ON	~20,500	Park camping ban plus shelter licensing; county bought a $2.3M building	35 shelter beds and 10 transitional units opened 2024
Steinbach, MB	~20,000+	Conditional-use zoning, grant pass-through, endorsements, more enforcement	The Bridge (24 units); no count, no low-barrier shelter

What “doing all it can” would add

Decide The INN's application on its merits, soon: hold a pre-application meeting and schedule the conditional-use hearing, so its government funding can flow.
A Brandon-style incentive bylaw for supportive and transitional housing: per-unit grants, fee waivers and tax breaks that stack with provincial and federal money.
City land at nominal cost for a joint project with Manitoba Housing.
Hire the coordinator the safety plan recommends, with a housing role.
Run Steinbach's first homelessness count and build a shared intake list with SCO, Eden, Agape House, Southern Health and the RCMP. Reaching Home can pay for staff, and Winkler's 2026 count is a template.
An extreme-cold protocol: a city-activated warming space or mobile unit, as Lloydminster has.
Pair any encampment policy with offers of housing, as the provincial plan does, not enforcement alone.
Keep pressing the province to extend Your Way Home beyond Winnipeg and add mental-health capacity in the Southern Health region.

About this page

Transcripts. Meeting quotes come from automatic transcripts of the official videos, so some words are misspelled in the source. The transcription often misspells the city's name; quotes show it correctly as Steinbach. Each quote links to its moment in the video.
Speakers. Speakers were identified by hand from how they are addressed in each meeting. Named quotes use high-confidence identifications; the one medium-confidence remark is marked. Council members and city staff are named; residents and representatives of community groups are identified by initials.
Numbers. Steinbach has no official homelessness count; all numbers are agency estimates. The CBC/Abacus survey was online with 117 Steinbach respondents, so no margin of error applies.
Gaps. Strategic Priorities Committee meetings aren't recorded, so the September 2024 report request and the July 2026 grant decision may have been discussed there. The status of The INN's permit after September 2026 is unconfirmed. Peer populations are approximate.
Coverage. All 103 regular council meetings from January 2022 to September 15, 2026 were searched, along with news coverage and provincial, federal and peer-city sources.

Sources

Council meetings (official YouTube recordings): Mar 1, 2022 · Jul 5, 2022 · Oct 3, 2023 · Feb 6, 2024 · Sept 17, 2024 · Dec 3, 2024 · Mar 18, 2025 · Apr 1, 2025 · Apr 21, 2026 · May 5, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026 · Jul 21, 2026 · Sept 15, 2026