The Namerind Housing Corporation is having the fourth annual Community Engagement Event in Regina, bringing together frontline organizations, policymakers, and guest speakers from across North America.
The event provides opportunities to learn more about the federal Reaching Home: Canada’s Homeless Strategy.
“The community engagement event is really an opportunity for Namerind to let the people in our community know what’s going on regarding homelessness here in Regina,” said Robert Byers, President and CEO of Namerind. “And the idea behind this event is to get as many community members in one room to hear from experts from across Canada.”
The event that is taking place on September 19, 2024, has an incredible lineup of presenters. Dr. Suzanne Stewart is a psychologist and professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Stewart has been doing community-driven homelessness programs and policy research with Indigenous organizations for nearly 20 years. She has explored how Indigenous knowledge could be used to change policy to meet the needs of Indigenous peoples experiencing homelessness. She has been able to make recommendations for culturally based programming and interventions.
Annise Parker, former Mayor of Houston, Texas, is also slated to speak at this year’s event. Parker addressed the homelessness in Houston and is going to share her experiences addressing the homelessness in Houston. Parker will share her experiences in helping reduce homelessness in her community.
Namerind Housing Corporation is the Reaching Home community entity in Regina. They will have volunteers take part in the fourth nationally coordinated Point-in-Time Homeless Count in Canada.
A Point-in-Time count, or PiT count, is a measure of the number of people who might be experiencing homelessness, counted on a specific day and during a specific period of time. It is like a “snapshot” of what homelessness looks like during that particular time and place. It indicates the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness in the community.
“Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home,” said the honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, PrairiesCan, and CanNor, on behalf of the honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities. “That is why we are supporting much-needed housing for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness in Saskatchewan and all of Canada. By investing in housing, we can create stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities for generations to come.”
They will be completing their count in October and are looking for volunteers.
