Construction begins on Regina rapid housing project

A sod turning ceremony was held at the site of Regina’s rapid housing initiative project.

A vacant lot on the corner of Broad Street N and 5th Avenue will be the site of a brand new 29-unit permanent supportive housing development for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and insecurity in Regina.

The project will be Indigenous-led, according to Erica Beaudin, executive director of Regina Treaty Status Indian Services.

“When we look at the statistics in the population, we understand that there is a higher percentage of Indigenous people who are along that continuum of dependence on supportive housing, moving towards independence,” Beaudin said.

Beaudin believes most of the occupants will have Indigenous ancestry.

The initiative has received $7,800,000 in funding from the federal government’s national housing strategy and has made this project the first of its kind in Regina.

“Supportive living arrangements are very important to our province,” Gene Makowsky, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Social Services, said. “We are working hard with our partners in the CBO sector to deliver on these and on the capital side but also the operating side and the supportive side.”

The initiative has also received $783,000 from the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation through the Saskatchewan Co-Investment program.

The City of Regina also contributed $575,000. Mayor Sandra Masters said partnerships between the city and Indigenous organizations are improving.

“The importance of Indigenous-led organizations having Indigenous-led solutions,” Masters said. “Really trying to continue to support and build capacity within the community to serve the community appropriately.”

The project, which is named Home Fire, is based on an Indigenous concept and teachings that encourage growth and stability for individuals and families.

“We believe that the home fire is the place for wellness and healing and we really hope that this will become a home for the people that reside here,” Beaudin said. “It will be the first place they will have called home in a while.”

Construction is expected to be complete by August 2023 and the complex will target local Indigenous contractors throughout the building process.