Thrive Community Support Circle

Thrive Community Support Circle (TCSC) in Winnipeg, Manitoba encourages community members to visit its drop-in space for various needs and necessities, including: emergency food kits, baby supplies, lunches, community celebrations, free counselling, clothing, hygiene supplies, referrals, crisis counselling, income tax rebates, Employment and Income Assistance support, Child and Family Services support, housing support, birth certificates, or to attend one of TCSC’s 20 free programs. They also have their own Community Safety Club, which is member-driven and goes into the community to make connections and discuss current safety issues. They have approximately 300-600 members visiting per month.

The TCSC has hundreds of volunteers who are encouraged to create goal plans and meet with supervisors in one-on-one meetings using play therapy exercises to help them with goal setting, life balance, hurdles, and struggles. They work with people in need of physical and intellectual disability programs, newcomers, single mother programs, people coming out of incarceration, and students.

The TCSC moved into their new space in January 2023, which includes a small patio space (which is only 16.5 x 13.25 feet!) that can be accessed through the drop-in centre. The centre’s hope is to transition the patio into a greenspace for staff to plant herbs for their community lunches and for staff and volunteers to enjoy a sunny space and get some fresh air.

“Front-line community work in the inner city can be difficult and taxing at times, and being confined to an indoor space all day can feel isolating and suffocating. In our new space, we have windows for the first time. Having a space outside would help with better mental health and a true break away from the work space.”