REGINA -- The COVID-19 pandemic has left more people looking for help with emergency food and shelter, so a resource has been taken over by the City of Regina to help those who don’t know where to turn.
Every day, hundreds of people rely on Regina soup kitchens, the Regina Food Bank and social agencies to help them with essential needs, so the Regina Survival Guide is now readily available on the City of Regina’s website.
“The City of Regina has taken it on to ensure that it has a permanent home and is able to be updated regularly,” said Kelly Husack, policy analyst with the City.
The Regina Survival Guide began in 2007 as a personal project of Marc Spooner, a U of R professor.
“I was excited that recently the city took it over so the city is going to be updating and really doing the legwork to updating the map and distributing it,” Spooner said.
Spooner has printed thousands of copies over the years and distributed them to libraries, hospitals and participating agencies.
Raising funds for the printing costs always proved to be a challenge, but now the City will handle the project.
“I’ve always said I want that map to be obsolete, not needed anymore,” Spooner said. “Wouldn’t that be something if we just didn’t have need for a homelessness map, if we housed our homeless and people were able to get the proper supports that would help them to be the best people they could be.”
Services provided by agencies and hours of operation do change on a regular basis, especially during the pandemic. With the survival guide now online, changes can easily be made.
