The Government of Saskatchewan is continuing funding towards Regina’s temporary emergency wellness centre.

An additional $665,000 will allow the Regina Treaty and Status Indian Services (RT/SIS) to extend the operations at The Gathering Place: New Beginnings, a 40-bed emergency wellness centre, for five additional months.

The shelter provides support to Regina residents in need 24 hours per day, seven days per week. In addition to a safe place to stay, the wellness centre offers three daily meals, with staff on-site able to offer support programs and help clients connect to other services.

The funding will allow the shelter to operate while the City of Regina works to identify longer-term solutions to Regina’s emergency wellness centre needs, something Mayor Sandra Masters is grateful for.

“The City of Regina is grateful for the province’s ongoing investment in helping us support folks experiencing houselessness in our community,” Masters said. “We are pleased that RT/SIS will be able to continue their valued work in providing supports to residents in need as we work to determine a location for a new permanent emergency shelter.”

RT/SIS Executive Director Erica Beaudin said the funding allows RT/SIS to continue to provide client-focused programs and services.

“This commitment is heart work for our staff and organization. We are pleased to continue our partnership with our provincial partners and all others we work with to continue to create homes for our most vulnerable as they move along to living independently.”

The temporary shelter was initially launched in January and was set to close at the end of April.

Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said they are proud to provide the additional funding to RT/SIS, which allows them to continue offering their valuable support and services to people in need.

“The Gathering Place: New Beginnings has been an incredible resource for people without housing during the winter months, and although the weather is slowly getting warmer, we still see a need for additional emergency wellness centre spaces in Regina.”

The funding is part of $1.7 million the Government allocated towards emergency shelter spaces across the province. Since the announcement, 83 temporary emergency shelter spaces in Saskatchewan, including 40 at The Gathering Place: New Beginnings, have been created.