STONY RAPIDS, SK, May 23, 2019 /CNW/ - Today in Stony Rapids, was celebrated the official opening of a six unit emergency shelter. Located on Black Lake First Nation Territory, it will serve women and their children, survivors of domestic violence, from all three nations in the Athabasca Basin region: Black Lake First Nation, Fond Du Lac Denesuline First Nation, and Hatchet Lake Denesuline Nation, as well as Stony Rapids, Uranium City, and Camsell Portage.
The shelter, by Athabaska Health Authority (AHA), is named Sa kew chu sa'kew ko'ni kwa, meaning "a home for women and children's shelter", and was made possible in part thanks to a federal government investment of more than $2.3 million through the Shelter Enhancement Program (SEP).
Athabasca Health Authority continuously strives to achieve, "Healthy People, Healthy Land," and to "create a place for northern people to heal." AHA's commitment is to work with the communities and people that they serve to achieve the best possible care and patient experience which will in turn lead to better health outcomes for all members of the Athabasca Basin.
Quote:
"Every Canadian deserves to have a safe and affordable place to call home. These units are another example of our Government's commitment toward ensuring that survivors of domestic violence are able to enjoy a safe and stable environment." - Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Quick facts:
- Other partners involved in the project include Indigenous Services Canada and Athabasca Denesuline Child and Family Services.
- The new shelter is built next to an existing AHA health facility.
- Before the opening of the shelter, the closest safe haven was in La Ronge, which is seven hundred kilometers over gravel (seasonal roads) and inaccessible in times of emergency.
- Budget 2016 included $10.4 million over three years for the construction of five new shelters for women and children who are victims of family violence on reserve, delivered through CMHC. This project in Stony Rapids had been identified amongst these.
- The Government of Canada is currently rolling out its National Housing Strategy (NHS)—an ambitious 10-year, $40 billion plan that will create 100,000 new housing units and lift 530,000 families out of housing need as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 percent.
- Thanks to new investments proposed in Budget 2019, Canada's National Housing Strategy will be a 10-year, $55 billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home.
- The NHS is built on strong partnerships between federal, provincial and territorial governments, and on continuous engagement with others, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private sectors to make a meaningful difference in the lives of Canadians.
Associated links:
As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.
SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Valérie Glazer, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, 819-654-5546, [email protected]; Catherine Léger, Public Affairs, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 514-475-5165, [email protected]
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