Name: United Way of Saskatoon & Area
Address: 100-506 25th Street East, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 4A7, Canada
Telephone: 306-975-7700
Price range: CAD

Shoppers Foundation gift a welcome boost but Moon Time Connections and Tampon Tuesday to continue collecting period products

by Dan Matthews on January 8, 2024 Comments Off

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SASKATOON – Moon Time Connections (formerly Moon Time Sisters) and United Way Saskatoon and Area, two long-time distributors of free period products in Saskatchewan, are grateful for the generous donation by Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health to the Province of Saskatchewan, but will continue raising donations and distributing free period products.

On October 23rd, 2023, the Foundation and the Saskatchewan provincial government announced a partnership to distribute 12 million menstruation products to schools, emergency shelters for women and girls, and food banks across the province over the next three years.

“We welcome the generous gift from Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health and applaud the provincial government for recognizing the importance of access to menstrual products and our collective responsibility to provide these products to those in need,” said Nicole White, founder of Moon Time Connections. “We look forward to working alongside this new partnership.”

While 12 million is a significant increase in the supply of free products in Saskatchewan, the reality is much more will be needed. Thanks to this generous gift, Moon Time Connections and United Way intend to focus their efforts and provide more robust support to people not reached by the Foundation’s partnership with the Saskatchewan government.

“Despite the incredible generosity of this gift from the Foundation, demand for these products will far outrun the supply,” said Andrea Howe, director of labour partnerships at United Way, a Tampon Tuesday partner. “Saskatoon Food Bank alone serves 24,000 clients per month. If even half of those need period products every month, most of the annual donation from the Foundation will have been consumed. And that’s just one location in the province.”

To complement the new partnership and address this ongoing need, Moon Time Connections and United Way will continue their annual campaigns – including United Way’s Tampon Tuesday, a partnership with local Shopper’s Drug Marts and Labour groups. The two organizations hope to find ways to work alongside the province to avoid redundancies and strategically distribute these products in a responsible, dignified and efficient manner.

“It’s important that we, as a community and province, don’t stop gathering and distributing donations because of this announcement,” said White. “People in every part of the province need these products and we’re here to continue our work and complement the efforts of the partnership. It’s important to us that we ensure no one is left without.”

MEDIA CONTACTS
Kat Cooper, Moon Time Connections
mtsmedia@truenorthaid.ca
Dan Matthews, United Way Saskatoon and Area
dmatthews@unitedwaysaskatoon.ca

ABOUT MOON TIME CONNECTIONS (FORMERLY MOON TIME SISTERS)

Moon Time Connections (MTC) is a volunteer-led organization supporting Northern menstruators by collecting and shipping menstrual products to remote communities across the country where access is limited and costs are prohibitive. MTC provides menstrual products to these communities completely free-of-cost.

Since its humble beginnings in 2017, MTC has grown to include 4 chapters – in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia – has partnered with over 65 northern Indigenous Communities across the country, and has shipped over 2 million period products to high schools, elementary schools, midwifery organisations, health care centres, Friendship Centres, shelters, food banks and community programs in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut, Newfoundland and Labrador, and North West Territories.

MTC is the only Indigenous-led period equity group in Canada. Learn more.

ABOUT UNITED WAY SASKATOON AND AREA

For 65 years, United Way Saskatoon and Area has fostered partnerships with the goal of bringing people and resources together to build a vibrant and caring community. Through collaboration, United Way moves people from poverty to possibility, helps build strong communities and supports kids to be all that they can be. Each year, United Way mobilizes millions of dollars in community investment, hundreds of community-minded volunteers and organizes dozens of community building projects to make life in our communities better and safer for everyone.

ABOUT TAMPON TUESDAY

Tampon Tuesday (TT) is a registered trademark of Bell Media. The initiative is a unique way of bringing the local community together to support people with periods. Since 2017, United Way Centraide Canada and the Canadian Labour Congress have partnered with Bell to use this trademark for period product collection and distribution initiatives across Canada. TT profiles the basic need for all individuals to have access to necessary period products and the challenges faced by many to obtain or purchase them. Through this initiative, the local community has distributed nearly 23,000 packages of period products to agencies, organizations, and schools in Saskatoon and surrounding area. Donate today.

A true home for youth, by youth

by Dan Matthews on December 14, 2023 Comments Off

Youth in group homes are some of the most overlooked segments of vulnerable populations in our community, but a team of young people from EGADZ are making their voices heard and changing how policy governs at least one youth home in the province.

On Friday, December 8th, 2023, EGADZ opened Garden of Hope, a youth home offering mental health support for young people aged 12 to 18. The eight-bed space provides a range of supports designed to reduce self-harming behaviors, suicide attempts and hospital visits.

*EGADZ youth committee and executive director Don Meikle open the doors to Garden of Hope.*

A different kind of group home

But this group home is a bit different than other youth housing facilities in Saskatchewan. From the start, a committee of youth with experience living in group homes helped design the space and even the intake forms. Committee member Vinny Moccasin said in an interview that the group of young people looked over the forms and “added things that we thought were missing.”

“We felt like nothing was being done,” said Moccasin in an interview with CJWW. “[Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman] came to one of our meetings, and we all kind of just completely dumped everything on him on what we wanted. That we wanted things to change, and that things aren’t okay right now for youth. There’s a lot of kids out there that need homes.”

For youth, by youth

Creating a space that feels like a home – something often missing in other group homes throughout the province – was important to the committee. Moccasin said she wanted to be a part of designing the program because her siblings will soon be living in a group home, and she wanted to make sure they were taken care of.

For EGADZ executive director Don Meikle the only way forward on the project was with youth involvement all the way through.

“We are very excited about the new Garden of Hope,” Meikle said in a statement. “This project has youth involvement from conception to completion, laying the groundwork that will assist youth well into the future. It is a true home that is for youth, by youth.”

A donation from United Way

*EGADZ youth committee accepts United Way donation.*

Thanks to the generosity of United Way donors, $10,000 from the recently announced emergency fund was designated to furnishing the home’s recreational space. The committee made decisions about the types of chairs, pictures, and other items in the space. Simple objects that many of us take for granted are critical to enhancing a space so that it feels like a real home.

“On behalf of United Way donors, it was an honour to invest in this project and see young people take control of how the space and intake process for the home was designed,” said Sheri Benson, chief executive officer for United Way Saskatoon and Area. “The voices of youth are often drowned out by well-intentioned adults, but these young people stood up and reminded all of us that their perspectives are vital to the process of healing and creating opportunities for a better life for everyone in our community. I hope we see more projects like this, where the people being impacted by the process have a decision-making voice in its design.”

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United Way donates enough groceries for a month to STC emergency wellness centre

by Dan Matthews on December 13, 2023 Comments Off

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 13th, 2023

SASKATOON, SK – As part of the emergency funding announced in November, United Way Saskatoon and Area (United Way) purchased a month’s worth of groceries for Saskatoon Tribal Council’s emergency wellness centre.

“At this time of year, many of us gather around an abundance of food alongside the warmth of friends and family,” said Sheri Benson, chief executive officer for United Way. “Thanks to the generosity of United Way donors, this $10,000 investment will make a difference in the lives of those most in need during the holiday season.”

United Way invested an additional $320,000 in funding this fall to further support local community-based organizations providing critical services for at-risk children, women and youth.

“A reality we all face today is rising costs, and those most at risk of going hungry, without shelter or experiencing violence during such times are women and children,” said Benson. “This year, our funded agencies told us they are experiencing exceptional pressure on their resources, and we wanted to do what we could to help.”

The funding is in addition to the $3.5 million United Way already invested in 42 local initiatives this year and a six per cent cost of living increase added in 2023 to the annual funding United Way provides to 35 agencies.

MEDIA CONTACT
Dan Matthews
306-380-9239
dmatthews@unitedwaysaskatoon.ca

ABOUT UNITED WAY SASKATOON AND AREA

For 65 years, United Way Saskatoon and Area has fostered partnerships with the goal of bringing people and resources together to build a vibrant and caring community. Through collaboration, we move people from poverty to possibility, help build strong communities and support kids to be all that they can be. Each year, United Way mobilizes millions of dollars in community investment, hundreds of community-minded volunteers and organizes dozens of community building projects to make life in our communities better and safer for everyone.

United Way provides $320,000 in additional funding to local agencies providing critical services

by Dan Matthews on November 15, 2023 Comments Off

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 15th, 2023

SASKATOON, SK – United Way Saskatoon and Area invested an additional $320,000 in funding this fall to further support local community-based organizations providing critical services for at-risk children, women and youth.

“A reality we all face today is rising costs, and those most at risk of going hungry, without shelter or experiencing violence during such times are women and children,” said Sheri Benson, chief executive officer at United Way Saskatoon and Area. “This year, our funded agencies told us they are experiencing exceptional pressure on their resources, and we wanted to do what we could to help.”

The funding is in addition to the $3.5 million United Way already invested in 42 local initiatives this year and a six per cent cost of living increase added in 2023 to the annual funding United Way provides to 35 agencies.

“It’s National Philanthropy Day and we’re asking those who can afford it to help to do what you can to support our community-based organizations, because most are struggling to keep up with growing demand for their services and increasing costs,” said Benson.

Hope Restored is one of the funding recipients. The agency operates a local safe house and program for those exiting sexual exploitation and trafficking.

“Food and shelter costs have risen substantially over the last couple of years, meaning our agency has had less and less each month to support participants in the program,” said Joeline Magill, executive director and founding director of Hope Restored. “Our team sees first-hand the devastating impacts of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation has on people in our community, and as the only agency of its kind in the province, we are grateful for this additional support.”

The recipients of this additional funding include:

$100,000 to YWCA for transitional housing for women and children experiencing violence.

$50,000 to Chokecherry Studios for at-risk youth arts programming.

$50,000 to OUTSaskatoon to support Pride Home, housing for queer and trans youth experiencing homelessness.

$50,000 to Hope Restored to support a local safe house and program for those exiting sexual exploitation and trafficking.

$50,000 to Prairie Harm Reduction to support expanded hours and life-saving interventions for people struggling with substance-use.

$10,000 to EGADZ to support a youth-led housing committee that is designing and renovating a retreat home for at-risk youth.

$10,000 in groceries to Saskatoon Tribal Council for their emergency wellness centre.

***

MEDIA CONTACT

Dan Matthews

306-380-9239

dmatthews@unitedwaysaskatoon.ca

ABOUT UNITED WAY SASKATOON AND AREA

For 65 years, United Way Saskatoon and Area has fostered partnerships with the goal of bringing people and resources together to build a vibrant and caring community. Through collaboration, we move people from poverty to possibility, help build strong communities and support kids to be all that they can be. Each year, United Way mobilizes millions of dollars in community investment, hundreds of community-minded volunteers and organizes dozens of community building projects to make life in our communities better and safer for everyone.

Opinion: Saskatoon can solve homeless crisis with proven strategies

by Dan Matthews on October 30, 2023 Comments Off

Originally published October 30 2023 in Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Saskatoon’s United Way CEO urges the city to seek solutions that have worked elsewhere, such as Medicine Hat, to solve homelessness.

Saskatoon can end homelessness but first we — as a community — need to learn from what works and choose to do more of it.

A decade ago, United Way Saskatoon and Area’s plan to end homelessness leadership committee joined the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) and the Community Advisory Board on Saskatoon Homelessness to create a co-ordinated approach to ending homelessness in Saskatoon.

In the foreword to the final plan is a dedication to Alvin Cote, who died around the time the plan was completed. The dedication was a promise to do better.

Ten years later, Saskatoon has more people experiencing homelessness than ever before and record numbers of overdose deaths. We did not live up to our promise to Alvin.

Perhaps most frustrating is that there is ample evidence we can do better and that doing so both makes good economic sense and is fiscally responsible. This is an “everyone wins” scenario.

But first we — as a community — need to stop trying to “manage” homelessness through expensive, ineffective means, such as shelters and policing, and take strategic steps towards solving this growing problem using tactics that have proven to be effective.

Anything less is a waste of money, time and, most importantly, lives. And the task before us is not impossible. It’s been done.

Medicine Hat made headlines in 2015 for becoming the first and only Canadian city to end homelessness. While the city still has a homeless population at times, the overall impact has been impressive.

According to a 2021 Medicine Hat Community Housing Society news release, shelter use was reduced by 64 per cent and hundreds of chronically homeless people have been housed, often within 10 days.

The community uses a combination of strategies including data-driven decision making, effective and inclusive local leadership, a co-ordinated homeless system specific to the needs of the community, and a housing first approach.

Having a comprehensive strategy for quickly housing people and providing the supports to help them remain in their home improves the quality of life of everyone in a community and is far more cost effective than relying on emergency services to deal with people in distress.

A 2019 progress report on Medicine Hat suggests the cost of the program per person is up to 10 times less than providing resources to people on the street.

Our experience with Journey Home, a United Way funded housing first program, reflects a similar social and economic upside.

Emergency room visits and hospitalizations by 40 participants who agreed to share data were reduced by well over 50 per cent and the estimated total cost avoidance in a single year represents more than $800,000 in reduced costs.

The cost savings are nice, of course, but so is decreasing pressure on already stretched hospitals and emergency service personnel.

With winter around the corner, more funding from the province for shelter spaces is welcome and appreciated.

Over the longer term, those of us who live in this community need to stop the blame game and take up the challenge ourselves. And we can start by preventing future homelessness by addressing root causes and making permanent housing priorities.

Ending homelessness in our community won’t be easy. But through co-ordinated leadership, a desire to learn from what works and a plan to do better, it can be done.

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Sheri Benson is chief executive officer, United Way Saskatoon and Area and the former member of parliament for Saskatoon West. About 10 years ago, she worked with community, labour and business groups to launch Saskatoon’s first Plan to End Homelessness and, in 2014, the province’s first “housing first” program, Journey Home, a United Way and Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service partnership.

Statement on the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners’ letter on homelessness and “complex needs” to the Saskatchewan Government

by Dan Matthews on August 30, 2023 Comments Off

SASKATOON – United Way Saskatoon and Area (United Way) welcomes the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners’ recent letter to the Saskatchewan Minister of Health, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Minister of Social Services requesting increased long-term support for people with complex needs experiencing homelessness. The United Way funded Journey Home program, which is managed by Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service (SCIS), is an example of an effective and collaborative solution to this pressing challenge.

“One of the priorities of Journey Home is to get chronically homeless individuals with mental health and substance use challenges into housing, and provide an ongoing support system,” said Sheri Benson, chief executive officer at United Way. “Thanks to this unique program, dozens of people each year leave the streets and return to being housed in an environment where they receive the support they need to remain in their home and a part of the community.”

The program is also cost effective when compared to a reliance on emergency services, such as shelters and policing.

“For the price of a modest home in Saskatoon, Journey Home assists nearly a hundred people with complex needs experiencing homelessness each year,” said Benson. “Outside the compelling moral and social reasons to help people who are struggling in our community, the high cost of policing and healthcare for these individuals alone is worth the investment. We should build on the Journey Home experience and learn from its successes.”

The provincial government in response to the commissioner’s letter also highlighted the importance of ministries and agencies working together to ensure people receive support when and where they need it. Journey Home is an excellent example of this type of collaboration.

“The conversation that’s taking place right now is a reminder that poverty is a complex challenge requiring a collaborative community-led effort and is not a problem policing or any single agency can solve on their own,” said Benson. “We won’t solve this challenge overnight or by working in silos. But as a community, we can learn from Journey Home and scale its impact, making life in our community better and safer for everyone.”

Thanks to the generosity of Saskatchewan donors, United Way has provided over $4.5 million in funding to Journey Home since 2014.

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ABOUT JOURNEY HOME

Journey Home provides people experiencing chronic homelessness an opportunity to have a home while receiving ongoing support. The goal of Journey Home is to provide immediate access to adequate and affordable housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness and collaborating with them to address unmet physical and mental health issues, financial, social, and spiritual needs.

Initiated in 2014, this Housing First program is a partnership between United Way Saskatoon and Area and Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service. The program has successfully provided housing and support to dozens of people in Saskatoon with complex needs experiencing homelessness.

To learn more, please visit the Journey Home webpage

ABOUT UNITED WAY SASKATOON AND AREA

For 65 years, United Way Saskatoon and Area has fostered partnerships with the goal of bringing people and resources together to build a vibrant and caring community. Through collaboration, we move people from poverty to possibility, help build strong communities and supports kids to be all that they can be.

Each year, United Way mobilizes millions of dollars in community investment, hundreds of community-minded volunteers and organizes dozens of community building projects to make life in our communities better and safer for everyone.

To learn more, please visit the United Way Saskatoon and Area website

ABOUT SASKATOON CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICE

Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service (SCIS) intervenes and manages social, emotional, and psychological emergencies for people experiencing acute and ongoing crisis 24 hours each day, 365 days of the year. Established in 1980, SCIS is a non-profit community-based organization that provides crisis intervention services to anyone living in Saskatoon who is experiencing distress and needing immediate help.

To learn more, please visit the SCIS website.

MEDIA CONTACT

Dan Matthews
Associate Director, Marketing and Communications
United Way Saskatoon and Area
306-975-7700
communications@unitedwaysaskatoon.ca