REGINA - Four individuals with intellectual disabilities now have a group home to call their own in Regina.
The Government of Saskatchewan and the Regina Residential Resource Centre cut the ribbon at the official grand opening on Tuesday. The group home is located in the Glencairn neighbourhood and its first residents moved in last October.
"This home welcomed residents in October and today we are proud to officially celebrate what it represents. It represents stability, support and a welcoming place to call home," said Social Services Minister Terry Jenson at the grand opening. Jenson noted the government supported this project with over $1.2 million in capital funding through Saskatchewan Mortgage Housing Corporation for the construction and other startup support, and $495,000 of annual operational funding.
"This is just one part of a broader partnership our government has with RRRC as we support your mission to focus on potential and not disability."
This group home was part of the government's commitment for the last fiscal year. For 2025-26 they have committed to building ten homes. Earlier this year, Jenson was also at the grand opening of a group home in Humboldt, and there are plans for a grand opening in Creighton as well once the wildfire situation there settles down. Jenson was also at a sod turning in Biggar for two new group homes there, and a number of others are either in construction phase right now or will be going out to procurement.
"Again, this is a commitment that our government's making within the disability sector. We want Saskatchewan to be the place of choice or to be able to provide, when it comes to disability services, disability services and homes like this to be the best place in Canada to live. And it's a large commitment," said Jenson.
"10 group homes is not easy, but we really do rely on community-based organizations such as RRRC. They came to us with a vision for this home, and it fit into what our plans were for Regina, and here we are."
Marnie Watkin-Pawelco, chairperson of RRRC, said the ribbon cutting is "so symbolic because it, for us, shows us that this home is important. And it shows the residents that this home is important. And that they are important to us. That we take pride in the space that they live in and that we work to create for them. And we want them to know that they're important."
RRRC itself has five other group homes in the city. Watkin-Pawelco said this home "is like one of any of our other group homes where residents live as independently as they can.
"They help with daily tasks, cleaning, meals. They take care of themselves essentially, but there are staff on site to assist them and to make sure things run smoothly and that they have any assistance that they need. And to ensure that medications are taken and that they get to appointments if they need to get to appointments and that kind of thing. They also will take them out on outings together so that they're not sitting here all day doing nothing and just watching TV. They spend time going out to enjoy the city."
She also spoke of the importance of a home versus a more institutional environment.
"When you put three or four people who have like-minded interests, are the same kind of people, heart-wise, into a space, it means they're living in a small adjusted family," Watkin-Pawelco said. "So that they can have autonomy. They can choose what they eat, when they eat. They can go grocery shopping with the staff and enjoy that as a part of their autonomous living"
