Regina Immigrant Women Centre pleads for new digs
Lorne Street house now serves 800 clients per year; expects many more
Neelu Sachdev is “tired of being discreet” about the Regina Immigrant Women Centre’s need for a new home.
On Tuesday, visitors crammed into the two-storey house on Lorne Street that serves as the organization’s headquarters for its sixth annual Christmas open house.
It was difficult to get in the door. People lined the staircase to get to the homemade cooking on the second floor as kids squirmed in arms and acquaintances shouted “hellos” in myriad languages.
On the main floor, Sachdev, the centre’s executive director, welcomed Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport Mark Docherty to bring greetings and, “as he does that, we want him to remember that we’re asking Santa that we need a miracle: We need a new building!”
A large poster in the room featured an image of Santa Claus flying over Regina with his reindeer, pulling a house from the back of his sleigh.
Docherty joked to ask Santa MP Ralph Goodale, who video-called from Ottawa, or Santa Mayor Michael Fougere, who joined the festivities as well, for assistance.
“I know that you need a new building,” Docherty said.
Despite Docherty and Fougere praising the centre’s work and referencing how important community organizations are to the integration of newcomers, all Sachdev got was commitments to look into the matter. Fougere said he doesn’t want to “over commit and under deliver.”
The centre has been feeling the squeeze for a couple of years, said Sachdev. It currently serves 800 clients per year, and Sachdev expects that to multiply as the city welcomes refugees from Syria.
While the centre isn’t a first stop for newcomers, it offers English classes, pre-employment training and family and housing support, among other services.
“We have to be prepared to provide that, and at this point all our programs are full,” said Sachdev.
The centre has spread to other sites, which aren’t always convenient for clients to access. There is no room for child care. The organization has had to buy a storage unit to keep donations.
“We have no room to move in here,” Sachdev said of the 1,000-square-foot space.
Plus, the building, which has housed the centre for 13 years, is in poor shape.
The organization has looked for spaces to lease but can’t find anything that’s affordable and the right size. That’s why Sachdev is putting out the plea for help to the community, the centre’s funders and government representatives at all levels.
Fougere said the city will work with partners to find a suitable location.
“When that is? I don’t know that,” he said.