HOME FOR AT-RISK MOMS
Sanctum 1.5 has twice expected numbers
Just over a year since it opened, a first-of-its-kind prenatal care home for at-risk and Hiv-positive women has helped nearly twice as many moms as staff expected when they first opened the doors.
“Because of the long waitlist and us trying to accommodate as many women as possible knowing what will happen if they don’t get into our program, we’re kind of triaging based on who’s due next and bringing women in later on in pregnancy as opposed to earlier,” said executive director Katelyn Roberts.
Sanctum 1.5 operates out of a 10-room bungalow in the 100 block of Avenue O South.
The first two mothers moved in last October. To date, 31 mothers and infants have been through the home, about double what was anticipated. There’s an average of 15 women waiting for a spot at any given time.
Women are referred to Sanctum 1.5 from the Ministry of Social Services, West Side Community Clinic and other community partners. They’re able to stay for their pregnancies and for up to three months after they give birth.
After that, the new moms are supported as they transition into the community and can access services for up to a year at Sanctum, an HIV hospice and transitional care home located across the street.
Roberts said the high demand for the services provided by Sanctum Care Group is a reflection of the poverty,
If you provide the right supports at the right time, you can make a substantial difference in these women’s lives.
trauma, substance misuse and other social determinants of health in Saskatoon.
Since Sanctum 1.5 opened, all of the 31 babies born have been healthy and none have entered the foster-care system, Roberts said.
Twenty-three of the 31 mothers have transitioned out of the home. Fifteen of those moms are parenting their own kids, while the other eight are seeing their infants cared for by their own families. Many women have got other children back from care.
“I think the program has been incredibly successful,” Roberts said.
“It has demonstrated how effective prevention is and that, if you provide the right supports at the right time, you can make a substantial difference in these women’s lives.”