Christmas Cheer: Housing crisis no easy shift for Transition House

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Even if decent homes were available to women in the Regina area attempting to escape intimate partner violence, it’s never been an easy task getting them placed in one.

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“What do you do if there is a history of arrears along with issues of mental health and addictions?” asked Stephanie Logan, the operational manager of Regina Transition House who is one of those tasked with placing domestic violence victims and their families elsewhere once their three-week stay is over.

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What do you do when there is almost no place to send them? Or when the options available are units with cockroaches or no locks on the doors? These are the realities that Logan said Transition House staff members have recently experienced.

A daily reality for shelter workers like Logan became a very public issue this week with the release of Volume 2 of the provincial auditor’s 2024 report

Provincial Auditor Tara Clemett noted that, out of approximately 3,000 units in Regina belonging to the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC), 534 were vacant as of last May. That’s a vacancy rate of 17.8 per cent, which doesn’t include another 364 units in need of repair.

“They need to probably repair those housing units or they need to look at repurposing them,” she said.

Meanwhile, there were 404 applicants on a wait list for an SHC placement, Clemett said.

None of this comes as any surprise to those working at Regina Transition House  — or any of the other three organizations sponsored by the Regina Leader-Post Christmas Cheer Fund that also include SOFIA House, WISH Safe House and the YWCA Isabel Johnson Shelter.

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For Stephanie Taylor, executive director of Regina Transition House, the problem is that the normal three-week stay at their ever-full facility often becomes longer because increasingly higher rental rates in the past year have made next-step housing that much more costly. Often, rent is $1,500 for two-bedroom units — some of questionable quality — that are required if the victim has children.

On Monday, the lovely, remodelled Transition House had two vacant rooms expected to be filled that day and staff members were busily cleaning for the next arrival.

Logan, who has been in social work for nearly two decades, says women who were in the system as very young children and later as adolescents are now at Transition House as victims of abuse — some of them with children of their own.

It has become a generational cycle for some, Logan said. The accompanying issues surrounding poverty — issues that often include substance abuse — only exacerbate the problem of finding quality housing.

And now, the problem is being further exacerbated by a combination of market conditions and problems administering government-run social housing.

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With all this, the housing issue for women fleeing violence is only getting worse.

The Cheer Fund would like to thank and acknowledge those who are recognizing the problem and helping with their donations:

Beryl Tell $200

J.R.’s Welding Ltd. $150

Gerry and Helen Gilavish $200

Gail Greenberg $50

Anonymous (in honour of Herb and Toni Young) $200

Edmund Niznik $100

Jean McLean $100

Diane and Gord Neale (in memory of Wendy Davis) $50

Evelyn Ryan $100

Darren Lee $250

Fred and Judy Short $200

Carole Bryant $250

Kenneth Linnen (in memory of Sue Linnen) $200

Dan and Angelina Beveridge $400

Roy Hilton $100

Donna Bowns $200

Larry Fahlman $100

Al Schreiner (in memory of Linda Schreiner) $300

Blair Stadnick (in memory of Ted Stadnick) $200

Gary and Bunny Semenchuck $200

Reinhard Rackow $200

Lorraine Weidner $1,000

Ray and Stella Crozier $100

Margaret Dowkes $100

Doug and Celia Johnson $500

Maura Thompson (in memory of Joe & Min Young) $100

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Rodger and Cynthia Bates (in memory of many dear friends who passed away this year) $200

Jan Turner $100

Linda Sinclair $200

Linda Ohalloran (in honour of Gayle Helfrick) $25

Gordon and Lee Beck $125

Ken Samoluk (in memory of Terry Brown) $100

Tim and Teresa Lux (in memory of George and Marian Lux, Riley and Rita Whalen) $100

Kirk and Nikki McGregor $250

Murray and Hazel Whippler $100

Mike and Sheila Schneider $100

Margaret Wenman (in memory of Dale) $100

Donna and Terry Kellsey $200

Allen Murray $1,000

Sandra Masters $300

Sandra Tompkins (in memory of Gary Tompkins) $100

Henry Friesen $25

Linda and Mark Reakes $100

Joanne Green and Wayne Williamson $100

Bob Burton and Joan Pratchler $200

Chet and Patti Brothers $3,000

Anonymous $4,140

Grand Total: $30,008

Due to the ongoing Canada Post strike and its impact on mail-in donations, we kindly request that, if you are able, you consider making your donation online. It’s quick, easy, and secure.

Simply visit leaderpost.com/cheerfund and click on the DONATE HERE button. You’ll be directed to a safe and secure payment platform managed by the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation, where you can enter your donation details and payment method. Your generous contribution will be processed right away, ensuring it reaches us without delay.

Alternatively, cheques can be dropped off at the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation (1911 Broad Street) during office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The front doors of the building are locked, so please call 306-751-4756 upon arrival, and someone will meet you at the door.

We truly appreciate your continued support and thank you for helping us make a difference!

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