'Nobody needs to sleep outdoors': City of Regina and non-profits work to accommodate houseless
Tents are popping up in vacant lots as Regina’s houseless prepare for colder weather.
The City of Regina is assessing whether there is need for more shelter beds according to Mayor Sandra Masters.
“They [The City] are looking at potential facilities that may be able to put whatever excess there is,” she said.
“In the meantime the rule is if you need space to stay overnight, social services will find you space to stay overnight so nobody needs to sleep outdoors.”
The city had hoped that at rapid housing facility would be ready for this winter but construction of the units are tied up at a prefabrication plant.
Organizations that work with those living on the streets are mobilizing for the winter, such as The Comeback Society.
“If we think about this as a National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, we also need to consider why these people might be homeless, said Alicia Morrow, founder of the Comeback Society.
“This is the direct result of residential schools and the colonial impacts that Canada has had on our people.”
The Comeback Society, which provides free meals every Sunday near the downtown library, has teamed up with The Everyday Kitchen to gather warm winter clothing.
“We have a bin provided,” Morrow explained. “The team here is great and they know that you guys will be coming so just come drop it off.”
The Everyday Kitchen often provides bagels for their Sunday meal program and will donate 10 per cent from this Friday’s sales to the cause, according to co-owner Mark Shmelinski.
“It’s hard to miss the need in our city on any given day so yeah, we see it. We’re surrounded by it,” he said.
The City of Regina estimates that its rapid housing facility will be ready for April, 2023.
However, it will just be another part of the solution to a problem that will continue to take support from multiple organizations in the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.