Federal funding to allow homeless warming shelter to open overnight in Regina beginning Dec. 1
With funding from the federal government, the hours of operation for Awasiw – The Warming Place in Regina will be extended overnight beginning on Dec. 1.
Awasiw – The Warming Place, located at 2735 5th Ave, will now have overnight access from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. in addition to its regular hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The All Nations Hope Network (ANHN) received the funding from the Namerind Housing Corporation, which administered the funding on behalf of the Government of Canada.
“ANHN is delighted to be able to provide additional services for the community,” Margaret Kisikaw Piyesis, All Nation’s Hope Network’s director of finance and research, said in a news release.
“Providing a warming shelter to the Indigenous community of Regina coincides with the one vision we speak of, which is truth telling which entails the problem with homelessness in Regina with Indigenous people.”
In an interview with CTV News, Kisikaw Piyesis said extending the hours of Awasiw came from a request from clients.
“The people that are coming through our doors on a regular basis in our outreach centre - we’re responding to their needs. They have asked us to open up Awasiw again at night,” she said.
“We wanted to have a place not only to warm them physically, but to warm them mentally, emotionally and spiritually.”
The release noted that the federal government’s annual investment in Regina through its “Reaching Home” program has doubled in the past three years to close to $5 million.
“By supporting All Nations Hope Network, Indigenous people who are experiencing housing difficulties will be able to access life-saving warm spaces during the day and through cold winter nights,” Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Ahmed Hussen, said in the release.
Bernadette Friedmann-Conrad, the manager of Regina’s Reaching Home Community Entity, said Awasiw helps to meet an immediate need in the city.
“Awasiw is one specific service on the spectrum of interventions that are needed,” Friedmann-Conrad said.
“It’s cold. It’s going to get colder. People are dying in other cities already according to reports and it was a priority. We’re grateful that funding was still available.”
First opened in December 2020, Awasiw has struggled to find the funding to operate regularly.
Friedmann-Conrad said although it may seem like this announcement is coming at the last possible minute as temperatures drop, it’s been in the works for quite some time.
“The overall contract with All Nations Hope for this fiscal year is about $374,000,” she said. “In particular, to be able to keep Awasiw open overnight, it’s $164,000.”
Awasiw is set to remain opened overnight throughout the winter until March 31, 2023.
CITY WARMING
The City of Regina has been offering an overnight transit bus as a temporary warming location for those in need for the past several weeks.
Mayor Sandra Masters said that will end shortly after Awasiw reopens.
“We created the warming bus to alleviate the overnight lack of warming shelters, so once the warming shelter opens I believe administration is reaching out to the community based organizations to advise them that the warming bus will be decommissioned,” Masters said.
The city clarified there is no official agreement with Awasiw regarding a replacement for the temporary warming bus, but said it is in contact with multiple organizations to discuss more than one alternative to the warming bus.
Mayor Masters said there have been reports of incidents of violence on the warming bus, adding an actual shelter in a building is a more appealing option for everyone.
She said Awasiw offers more wrap around services to connect with clients and offer support, which the bus does not.
“There have been reports of violence, sexual assault, drugs and alcohol consumption and some general disturbances,” Masters said.
“There’s some safety concerns from an employer perspective.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.