Plan to end Regina homelessness in five years launched
By Joshua Potter
An Indigenous-led nonprofit housing corporation plans to end homelessness in Regina in five years.
Namerind Housing Corporation announced the plan, one of its largest to date, in early April, with the support of other organizations and all levels of government.
“It’s going to take all of us pulling in the same direction,” said Robert Byers, Namerind’s CEO.
Byers is out to make significant social change by seeing everyone in Regina housed by 2030. This plan is similar to one made back in 2019 that struggled for success.
When asked what makes this time different, Byers said “the support fell short” in 2019 and suffered from organizations and governments that “weren’t working together.” Today, he says, how there is a new city council, which has changed the environment.
After not meeting with the previous mayor in over four years, he now looks forward to meeting with the new Mayor Chad Bachinski on May 9.
Byers said Namarind has helped house 1,000 people over the last two years, but its goal is to reduce and eliminate homelessness for all people. The corporation serves clients from all walks of life, with a special focus on Indigenous people, who make up 75 per cent of homeless people in Regina.
Namerind has already reduced Indigenous homelessness by six percent due to taking what Byers calls a “for Indigenous, by Indigenous” approach. Essentially this approach seeks to have, as Byers put it, “Indigenous people looking after Indigenous people.”
“I’ve lost so much support since becoming homeless,” said an elderly man who has been living on the streets for over 10 years. The man, who asked not to be named, has lost the support of those closest to him and feels as though he is a hopeless cause.
Byers said Namerind works to make people feel they are not lost causes. The hope is to help everyone who is willing to accept help.
“Showing people another way” is how Byers described one of Namerind’s objectives. This objective can be achieved by going into schools and figuring out what is going on.
The corporation also assists in other areas of life by helping Indigenous people register or re-register for status, providing a safe space for women to give birth, and offering job-seeking skills programs for Indigenous youth.
The objective is to instill a sense of confidence back into those who have been struggling to house themselves. Byers said the importance of reassuring people that they have someone in their corner cannot be understated.
Byers and Namerind are determined to get everyone who is homeless housed. However, they have realized how crucial the support of governments and community organizations are going to be if this goal is to become a reality.
Whether that be talking to young people or attempting to connect people with their loved ones, Byers and his organization’s goal is clear: prevention and helping end Regina’s homelessness epidemic is the key goal named in the strategy document.