YWCA Regina receives donation for new community outreach centre

The YWCA Regina has received another funding boost for its Centre for Women and Families.

Conexus Credit Union is contributing $1 million towards the centre. The funding will go directly to the Conexus Community Outreach Centre.

“I want to extend on behalf of every single one of us at YWCA Regina, but especially our women and families, our heartfelt gratitude to Conexus Credit Union for their incredible commitment and partnership,” YWCA Regina CEO Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen said Monday.

The $1-million contribution will be leveraged to directly ensure the successful creation and operation of the centre.

The facility, which started construction in October, will provide wraparound services that provide crisis and preventative supports through YWCA Regina and other partnerships with a trauma-informed approach.

Celina Philpot, the CEO of Conexus Credit Union, said the company believes in the project.

“By supporting this important organization, we believe it’s money towards a group that will really make a huge difference,” she said.

“We believe that by supporting Mom, we can support her and her ability to raise her family and be a part of our community so it’s very important for us to support women.”

The building will feature community multi-purpose spaces, access to drop-in supports and essential needs, communal kitchens, and indoor and outdoor play areas.

Additionally, the Centre for Women and Families will include a healing and ceremony lodge stewarded by Indigenous community partners to provide access to cultural connection.

Philpot also said it’s important to be stewards in the Indigenous community.

“We’re a part of that community and we believe in supporting all of us. It’s an important community to support. It’s a large demographic within the City of Regina and we believe we want to support the community,” she said.

Coomber-Bendtsen said since the pandemic, the YWCA has seen an increase in use for its services, especially with inflation.

“I think as we all struggled in the pandemic, the rising costs of living has meant that people who were on the margins have now gotten into that cycle of poverty,” Coomber-Bendtsen said.

She said the centre was fully funded, but because of inflation, the cost has increased and more funding is needed for the centre.

“It’s been construction costs that have been hit the hardest by inflation so our overall building costs have increased by close to $18 million due to inflation in the last year and a half,” Coomber-Bendtsen said.

She added the current total cost is $63 million.

In October, the Rawlinson family donated $5 million to the centre. Earlier this month, the Mosaic Company gave the YWCA $1 million over the next five years for the centre.