
Community group wants to convert historic Regina church into support hub for homeless
CBC
A community organization wants to breathe new life into a historic building in Regina.
Trinity Lutheran Church in Regina shut down last month and is now up for sale. Community advocates are working to buy it and convert it into a multi-use facility with wraparound supports for homeless people.
Hawk Principle is a community organization in Regina. Its goal is to raise $1 million to purchase the building and another million annually to run it.
Shawn Koch, co-director of Hawk Principle, said the effort is a response to a failing system that is leaving people without basic needs like food and shelter.
"This is a stopgap measure to help take away some of the pressure from Carmichael's outreach downtown, from the police, from the new [shelter in the former] Eagles Club that's going to be made," Koch said.
The plan is to offer three meals a day, as well as cultural connections and educational opportunities. The group is launching a fundraising campaign this week on GiveSendGo.
Koch said supporting people with food, shelter and connection not only helps individuals, but saves money in the long run.
With the population in Regina growing and social issues continuing to mount, he talked about the urgent need for community-based solutions.
"There's people out there freezing and dying on the streets who need some help," he said.
"Enough is enough."
Koch said people don't have a place to go between 4 and 7 p.m.
"We want to have times available so that when we're done, they're able to go to Carmichael and there are no gaps in between," Morgan Orthner, another member of Hawk Principle, said.
She said that while there's a need for shelters that offer basic warmth and safety, people also need real connections.
Orthner said many facing homelessness don't have personal support networks, so there aren't many places to turn. Without a referral, support worker or access to a hospital, they often feel stuck. For Indigenous people in particular, the fear of judgment and discrimination can make them hesitant to seek help in traditional settings like hospitals, she said.

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