Yorkton residents are welcoming a new addition to the community in the form of a new group home designed specifically for seniors with disabilities.

The home will be operated by Yorkton Adult Independent Living, a group that already operates three other group homes in Yorkton.

“Many of them don’t walk, so we have to use lifts to move them from bed to chair, chair to wherever,” said Jeanette Fahlman with YAIL Harbor Inc. “These types of things make a big difference. We need the space, more than anything.”

Although the accessibility features inside such as lifts, special baths and wheelchair ramps are appreciated, the outside of the building looks like any other house in the neighborhood. In many ways, that’s just as much of an important step in raising quality of life for the home’s residents.

“You see them flourish. They actually do a lot better in more of a home based environment,” said Yorkton MLA Greg Ottenbreit at the opening on behalf of Social Services Minister Paul Merriman. “Some place that they feel like they can call home instead of an institution. It really adds to the quality of life for these individuals.”

Mayor of Yorkton Bob Maloney was also in attendance for the opening, and says he loves to see projects like this group home come to Yorkton.

“Yorkton has got a pretty good record of building seniors facilities,” Maloney said. “There is a real shortage of those properties and a lot of people who need a safe place to live. So it is heartwarming to see projects like this get done.”

The provincial government is holding up this new facility as an example of what it wants to see more of. Three of the home’s residents are former residents of the Valley View Centre in Moose Jaw as the province moves away from institutionalized care for seniors with disabilities.

“Valley View is more of an institutional setup which served its purpose decades ago,” Ottenbreit said. “It doesn’t really provide the type of lifestyle and care that individuals would like and deserve.”

The new home in Yorkton is one of 15 of its kind that are up and running in Saskatchewan, with several more currently in various stages of construction. The government plans to close the Valley View Center in 2019 once all of its residents have been moved into group homes.