NORTH BATTLEFORD - Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs is receiving funding from the provincial government to purchase the building for the Miwasin Kikinaw shelter in North Battleford.
The province announced that Saskatchewan Housing Corporation is providing $219,000 to Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs to purchase the Miwasin Kikinaw 40-space emergency shelter at 962 -102nd Street. BATC operates the Miwasin Kikinaw emergency shelter and up to now had been leasing the building from The Lighthouse.
The Lighthouse had previously run the shelter there under the name Lighthouse Serving the Battlefords. In Oct. 2021, the Lighthouse transferred operations there to BATC, with support from Metis Nation of Saskatchewan, City of North Battleford and the Province of Saskatchewan.
Since then, the Lighthouse organization has encountered a host of financial and legal troubles, and has gone into receivership.
That threw ownership of the 102nd Street building into some uncertainty. Earlier this year, BATC had issued a statement that the court appointed receiver, MNP, had been reviewing options for the shelter property as well as for two transitional houses in North Battleford.
Now the indication from this latest announcement is that BATC plans to purchase the 102nd Street location.
"The province is pleased to provide funding to Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs for the purchase of its emergency shelter that will continue to provide support for individuals facing homelessness in the Battlefords area," Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said in a statement. "Through the Miwasin Kikinaw project, BATC supports individuals who need more than a home to remain connected to their community."
"The Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs express their satisfaction with the province's involvement in acquiring the facility for the Miwasin Kikinaw Emergency Transition Shelter," BATC CEO Joan Bear said in a statement. "Addressing the needs of the most at-risk members of our community requires collective efforts from all walks of life. In an effort to unite various services for the shelter, BATC took the initiative in May to establish a collaborative network involving multiple agencies."
