'This is a pattern': Regina father and 5 children left on street after public housing eviction

A Regina father and his five children have been left homeless after being evicted from a government housing unit on Wednesday after several noise complaints.

With children involved, the Saskatchewan opposition NDP says the situation should have been handled differently after the locks on the home were changed and the family was shutout of the house.

The family said it issued a call for help, but claims it got the runaround. They had enough money for a night in a motel but then went to their local MLA’s office for further assistance.

The mother, Rena Nepinak said many organizations knew of the father’s situation.

“All the programs knew. Saskatchewan Income Support knew, Regina Housing knew that. They all knew that he was being evicted but still he was still left here with no alternative,” she said.

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Nepinak said the children’s father called Saskatchewan Income Support first and then Regina Housing, which directed him back to income support.

“So this family did come to our office for assistance. They were evicted from Regina Housing. They say it was due to some noise complaints. They weren’t behind on rent. They weren’t behind on utilities and we were pretty shocked,” NDP MLA Meara Conway said.

A similar incident that took place with a Regina senior who suddenly found herself homeless resulted in the province intervening and providing supports.

“This is a pattern that we’re seeing with a lack of real basic stuff from this government being able to provide housing to seniors, to children. I mean it’s very concerning,” Conway said.

The office of the NDP MLA arranged a social services appointment for the family. The government dispatched a taxi to take them and their belongings to a social services office. In a written statement, the government said, “The Ministry of Social Services supports families experiencing complex challenges.”

It's not known where the family of six will go next, but typically the government provides motel accommodations until housing can be found.