View From the Legislature

This past Sunday I participated in the sod turning for the Four Winds Housing project in Steinbach. Affiliated with Southland Church, when complete, Four Winds will be a two story housing project that will provide living space in separate parts of the building for 22 men and 22 women who have addictions and life controlling behaviors.

The goal of Four Winds isn’t to provide permanent housing but rather to be a place of transition. Participants at Four Winds will be involved in programming dealing with emotional and spiritual well-being and healthy life behaviors.  The purpose of Four Winds will be to provide a holistic approach to dealing with addiction and life controlling behaviors with the goal of having individuals live productive fulfilling lives in the community.

The project is noteworthy for two specific reasons. The first is the approach. Research shows that the best way to deal with addictions is not just to simply focus on the addiction itself, but to look at factors that led up to the addictive behavior. This approach would stress that the addiction is often the symptom of a larger issue that needs to be dealt with and that takes more dedicated care to address.

While much research indicates that the holistic approach is more successful in dealing with addictions and life controlling behaviors than other methods, the reality is that it is expensive and time intensive. That is the second reason that the Four Winds project is noteworthy. It is a project that has been supported entirely by private donations. Donations of the land and for operations have been secured from individuals across the community who recognize that this project is needed in our region and that it has the potential of transforming countless lives.

It is another example of how the church community in our region provides support and services that government simply cannot do on its own. It would be impossible to put a dollar figure on the support that is provided in many different areas by the faith community but whatever that dollar figure is, it would not be able to be replaced by government.

Issues of addiction and life controlling behaviors are not something that individuals or a community as a whole should be ashamed of. Every family is impacted in some way by these very human realities. The shame comes when these conditions are ignored or discounted. The Four Winds housing project is just one example of how churches and organizations in our community are embracing, not ignoring these challenges. And it is a remarkable testament to our community.

I congratulate all those involved in the Four Winds housing project. Its approach to difficult challenges and its contribution to the community are worth celebrating.