Governments Of Canada And Saskatchewan Support New Second-Stage Housing In Melfort

Released on April 25, 2019

“Our government is pleased to collaborate with the Government of Canada and North East Outreach and Support Services to help provide safe and affordable housing for victims of family violence in Melfort and the surrounding area,” Merriman said.  “This facility will help meet a need for this type of housing in Melfort and, most importantly, the women and children who will come through its doors will feel safe and secure.  We thank everyone involved for seeing this project through to completion.”

“North East Outreach and Support Services began its journey to assist women and children navigating from domestic violence to a violence-free lifestyle in 1984,” Schweitzer said.  “Through many years of hard work, in 2016 a 16-bed Domestic Violence shelter began operations due to partnerships with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Saskatchewan Housing Corporation and Affinity Credit Union.  The generosity of our municipal government and members of our community through the capital campaign, along with CMHC, SHC and Affinity Credit Union partnerships, assisted us in continuing on this journey to now be opening this four-unit transition facility.  This facility will assist us to give longer term support to a woman and her children, removing barriers for them and bettering their chances to stay violence free.”

Quick facts:

• The Government of Canada, through CMHC, along with the Government of Saskatchewan, through SHC, are jointly contributing up to $670,000 toward this project through the 2014-2019 Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement.
• The Government of Canada is currently rolling out its National Housing Strategy, an ambitious 10-year, $40 billion plan that will create 100,000 new housing units and lift 530,000 families out of housing need, as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent.
• This investment supports Saskatchewan’s Housing Strategy goals of increasing housing supply, improving housing affordability and supporting individuals and families in greatest housing need.

• As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry.  For more information, please visit www.cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.  To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca. 
• In October 2012, the Government of Saskatchewan released the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth: Vision 2020 and Beyond, which sets out the government’s vision for a province of 1.2 million people by 2020.  The plan identifies principles, goals and actions to ensure Saskatchewan is capturing the opportunities and meeting the challenges of a growing province.  Since 2007, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested more than $780 million to develop or repair more than 16,000 housing units across our province. To learn more, visit www.saskatchewan.ca.