New 29 room low income housing facility unveiled in Regina

Ribbon cutting at Horse Dance Lodge WATCH: A ribbon cutting took place at Horse Dance Lodge in Regina on Thursday. Hallee Mandryk has the story.

The ribbon was cut Thursday morning as the latest low income housing facility in Regina known as Horse Dance Lodge was unveiled.

The 29 room building works with community supports to help those living inside with whatever they may be struggling with.

“We’re unveiling a facility that’s going to house vulnerable people and by people I mean men and women but also children,” Tribal Chief and CEO of File Hills, Qu’Appelle Tribal Council Jeremy Fourhorns said. “It's not just limited to addictions, but also life skills and some culturally appropriate support. If you’re going to be here then you’re going to commit to bettering yourself.”

“It's very important because there is a shortage of housing at the moment and all working together this is an example of how everyone coming together can provide those extra spaces,” president and CEO of Silver Sage Housing Natoshia Bastien said. “It just demonstrates our capacity that we can solve our own housing problems and we can work with other governments to be able to do that.”

A particular point of pride for organizers was how quickly the project was able to come together.

It was organized by Silver Sage Housing in partnership with Big Block Construction. Silver Sage is an Indigenous led company founded in 1983 that aims to provide affordable housing across the city, with 567 housing units currently in Regina.

The final product is a group effort with collaboration from all levels of government.

The efficiency of construction is thanks to a modular building plan, meaning that a lot of the buildings’ components were built offsite and then pieced together, similar to Lego structures.

“I think that's the beauty of modular building. The facility was actually built in a controlled environment, we didn’t have to face a lot of the elements of weather and some of those things that slow you down,” Bastien said.

Bastien also expressed that Silver Sage is more than willing to continue working on projects like this one to battle the ongoing housing crisis in the province.

“We’re here to assist all levels of government and work towards solving this housing crisis, we have 40 years of experience, we have a passionate and dedicated team and I think we have a great network of partners so that we can continue this work,”

The facility can hold up to 45 people when full and it is a requirement that 25 per cent of occupants are women and children.