El'dad Ranch held the grand opening celebration of the Steinbach location Tuesday.

Program Director Kevin Drain says the second location became necessary when the program grew to support people living within the community, in addition to those living on the ranch. Drain notes the outreach program is currently supporting 23 people and there has been much success seen in the participant's lives.

"The success in the program is really the change in people's lives and how they're able to live successfully by their measure in the community," Drain notes. "A lot of people we're supporting are staying employed, staying connected and developing positive relationships. So that's really how we measure success, their quality of life."

He says the new location will allow supports to expand and they will be able to host events throughout the week, for example, watching movies, playing games, engaging in crafts or learning life skills and making friends. Drain adds the Steinbach location is also a central location for participants to contact in case of a crisis.

"When we're supporting somebody we look at the strengths, what they're able to do, the successes that they've had in their life and how we can recreate those successes in the future," says Drain. "If there are challenges that come up, we look at those challenges as learning opportunities, ways things can be done differently or improved upon. We don't limit a person, we don't talk about what they can't do, we're really looking at what they can do and affirming them in what it is they want to do in their life."

Drain says his favourite part of his position is interacting with the participants and shining a positive light, creating a positive environment for them to succeed and learn. He notes they will be leasing the space on Highway 52 for a few years and then hope to acquire a building to expand and add a cafe and shop to sell the products participants make. Drain adds they also want to partner with other service providers and churches to see if there's anything they can partner on to give a wider range of services to more people and build a stronger community base.

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El'dad Ranch Is Opening An Outreach Office In Steinbach