It came within days of closing, but some last-minute funding from the provincial government will keep Kate’s Place open in Regina. It is a long-term safe house that provides safe, stable and supportive housing for women enrolled in the Regina Drug Treatment Court. Without the program, many of these women would be back on the streets or in jail.
One of the success stories of the program is Isabelle Morris. She spent 15 months there and it changed her life. Before she entered the program, she was a heroin addict that did whatever she had to do to get her drug.
“Shoplifting, gang involvement, organized crime, and drug dealing.”
She is now a mentor to other women in the program. She says it saved her life, and gave her a new sense of hope as she moves forward drug-free.
“I have my family back, I’m a mentor now. I am very blessed to have this program and the support and everything that I need in my life today.”
The provincial government is providing $200,000 in funding to take over where the federal government left off. The program began as a two-year test project in 2012. Justice Minister Gordon Wyant says it is one of the most successful programs of its kind in Canada and the province did not want to see it end.
“When we saw the success of the program and we saw how important it was to the community, that is why the government decided it was important to find this interim funding.”
Kate’s Place is run by the Salvation Army. Major Mike Hoeft says there were a lot of concerns about the future of the program after the federal money ran out.
“We are a people of faith and we have faith — but certainly at various times over the last year, we were within days of having to make that decision.”
Kate’s Place offers supervised housing for up to 11 women in the process of completing court-ordered addictions treatment.
The province says it will review funding for the program on a yearly basis.