‘It felt like home:’ YWCA Regina kikakihtânaw Centre grand opening

A safe space for women and families is finally open in Regina.

The Regina YWCA kikakihtânaw Centre celebrated its grand opening on Wednesday.

Women and families have been in the space for three weeks now. Women using the space say it’s already making a difference.

Tanya Bunnie has been a resident of the YWCA since January, she said coming to the new building has been a refreshing start.

“It literally felt like home,” she said. “I came here and there was no barriers or anything. It was all fresh. It’s an absolutely beautiful place.”

Tanya Bunnie has been a resident of the YWCA since January 2024. She moved into the new kikaskihtânaw Centre three weeks ago. (Abby Zieverink/980 CJME)

Before living at the YWCA, Bunnie was on the streets and in and out of shelters.

“Every time I got a chance to come into the shelter, they (welcomed) me with open arms and they were like, ‘All right, what next? What can we do for you? How can we help you?’ And as soon as I asked them and told them what I wanted to do they were like, ‘Alright, let’s move forward and let’s try and do this,'” she said.

Bunnie said she was given opportunities and programming that have made a positive impact on her journey. She said staff encouraged her to do things she would thrive in.

“I took every opportunity to try and better myself in some kind of way, mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally,” Bunnie said.

One of those things she took a leadership role in was starting a beading class, which she said came naturally.

“We just started beading,” she said. “The ladies wanted to do stuff too, so I was like, ‘Hey, how about you come and join and be a part of it’ and they did.”

The women who get together to bead use the time to be together and grow. They share personal stories from their life journeys and with each bead comes more healing.

“It’s one bead at a time, you know, everyone gets there,” Bunnie said.

Read more:

• YWCA Regina gets $2 million donation for new kikakihtânaw Centre
• Ground broken for new YWCA centre to serve women and families
• Regina’s permanent emergency shelter to open next summer, mayor says

Bunnie said this space is going to impact other women and families in a positive way, and staff are there to help every step of the way.

“They don’t have to bring the street with them anymore,” she said. “They can leave it outside. They come in and they’re vulnerable and they’re scared and stuff. But the staff they’re so empathetic to all of that (and) they’ll guide them through however they need to go through.”

The new space is bringing the women together in ways the old building couldn’t. There are more common areas like the main lobby. But there’s also various kitchen and living room areas that are smaller and more intimate. It allows for women to cook and share space together and connect.

Bunnie said this building has brought survivors together and it’s empowering.

“This building has brought a lot of strength to all these women,” she said. “It’s amazing to see them as happy as they are every morning, to be like, ‘I am safe, I’m secure, I’m home.'”

Hundreds of people sat inside the new centre, listening opening ceremony to speeches. (Abby Zieverink/980 CJME)

Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen is the CEO of YWCA Regina has already seen positive changes in the women.

“I can already see the way that they navigate a day, how they gather together, what they’re doing to support each other,” she said. “It’s taught me that space you can feel proud of, space that is meant to also heal does have an impact. I saw it on day one of when our women came in that they felt different about where they were and what was possible.”

She said a lot of the women have brought in their family members to see the new space.

“It’s just really a proud moment for our women,” she said. “When you’re navigating crisis in your life or difficult situations, to have moments of pride of who you are and what you’re capable of (is important). I don’t think we get to see that very often, and so to see our women be proud was just an incredible feeling.”

The outside of the new kikaskihtânaw Centre (Abby Zieverink/980 CJME)

The facility has 108 rooms and over 140 beds for women and children. It’s already at full capacity.

Coomber-Bendtsen said it’s been incredible to see the community welcome the space into the neighbourhood and can’t wait to see what the future holds for it.

The next and final phase of opening for the building is the sacred site in partnership with All Nations Hope Network. It still needs to be named in a ceremony before it can be opened.

The kikakihtânaw Center is the entire building itself that was named in a ceremony by knowledge keeper Nina Wilson as a gift from the Rawlinson family, who had the naming rights to the entire building.

The Ribbon Cutting taking place for the the Rawlinson Family donor wall. (Abby Zieverink/980 CJME)

— with files from 980 CJME’s Abby Zieverink