New building opens to address homelessness in Regina

A new 24-unit building is opening in Regina to help residents who are at risk of homelessness.

The building is the result of a new partnership between the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) and the Phoenix Residential Society. The units are to be rented to Phoenix clients, and staff will be on site 24/7 to offer support.

The Regina Housing Authority will maintain the building.

Funding for the project is coming from the federal government’s Reaching Home program. That funding is delivered through the Namerind Housing Corporation, which provides safe and affordable housing and economic development opportunities for Indigenous people.

“The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to partner with Phoenix Residential Society to provide more supportive housing options for people who are at risk of homelessness,” Gene Makowsky, the minister responsible for the SHC, said in a release.

“Through our partnership, we are helping Regina residents gain safe housing, as well as a support system that contributes to their well-being and success.”

The Phoenix Residential Society is a non-profit, community-based health-care organization that provides rehabilitation services to people who struggle to maintain housing or who have psychiatric disorders, addictions issues, acquired brain injury or cognitive disabilities.

“This initiative will provide safe, affordable housing with appropriate support services for a group of individuals currently experiencing homelessness,” society executive director Sheila Wignes-Paton said in the release.

“Phoenix Residential Society greatly appreciates being able to partner with Saskatchewan Housing Corporation and the federal Reaching Home program to meet the needs of vulnerable individuals in need of supportive housing.”

Since 2007, the Government of Saskatchewan — through the SHC — has invested $786 million to develop more than 12,000 affordable housing units and repair nearly 5,500 homes. The SHC also has invested more than $61 million to build nearly 300 units in residential care homes, and $430 million to improve provincially owned housing.