Awasiw: A Place of Hope and Healing in Regina

Funding provided through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.

The Awasiw program at All Nations Hope Network (ANHN) is a crucial support system for Indigenous individuals experiencing homelessness in Regina, Saskatchewan. More than a shelter, it offers safety, cultural connection, and the resources needed to regain stability. Since December 1, 2022, Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy has helped sustain this essential initiative, ensuring that those in need have access to warmth in the winter, cooling and respite in the summer, and a pathway to healing year-round.

Awasiw reopens in winter 2022 due to federal funding

Awasiw, also referred to as “The Place of Hope,” is designed to meet the holistic, traditional, and spiritual needs of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. Since its reopening in December 2022 with federal support, Awasiw has served thousands of individuals in need – welcoming over 415 visitors in its first week alone. For those experiencing homelessness, Awasiw is a reminder that they are not alone, and that there is a place where they will always be welcomed with dignity and care.

Awasiw is one of many life-changing initiatives offered by ANHN, an organization devoted to serving Indigenous individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. ANHN’s work extends beyond providing direct support – it is a driving force for education, awareness, and empowerment within the Indigenous community. Through training and program development, the network equips staff and community members with the tools they need to create lasting change, ensuring that those who seek help are met with understanding and culturally responsive care.

The impact of Awasiw would not be possible without the collaborative efforts of organizations like the Namerind Housing Corporation, which administers Regina’s Reaching Home funding. With over 40 years of experience providing affordable housing and economic development opportunities for Indigenous peoples, Namerind plays a critical role in ensuring that funding reaches those who need it most. Recent investments have helped expand programming, ensuring that individuals accessing Awasiw and other shelters receive wraparound support – from emergency relief to long-term solutions that promote stability and self-sufficiency.

Addressing Homelessness in Regina

In response, the City of Regina and local organizations have implemented resources such as a warming bus service to transport individuals to shelters, and brick-and-mortar warming spaces for community members, in extreme cold temperatures.

Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy is a cornerstone of Canada’s effort to combat homelessness, providing critical funding to initiatives like Awasiw to ensure communities have the resources to address both immediate and long-term housing needs. As part of the Indigenous Homelessness stream, funding is directed toward Indigenous-led and Indigenous-serving organizations that provide culturally appropriate services. This investment not only supports emergency housing but also helps individuals navigate system barriers, access health and social services, and ultimately transition into stable housing. Through Reaching Home, Awasiw continues its services, helping more individuals find a path toward safety and stability.

For those who walk through Awasiw’s doors, it is not just a shelter – it is a space for healing, belonging, and the chance to start again.

Quick facts:

• Reaching Home: was launched in April 2019 and supports the goals of the government’s National Housing Strategy, as well as Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada’s Housing Plan. Those goals include: supporting the needs of the most vulnerable people in Canada; improving access to safe, stable and affordable housing, and reducing chronic homelessness.
• Reaching Home is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. This program provides funding and support to urban, Indigenous, territorial, rural, and remote communities to help them address their local homelessness needs.
• In Regina, the Namerind Housing Corporation manages Reaching Home funding through both the Designated Communities and Indigenous Homelessness funding streams.
• Under the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative,  the federal government committed over $91.5 million over two years to tackle homelessness in Regina, Saskatoon, and nine Ontario municipalities, with municipal governments matching the funds to expand support.

For more information, visit:

• Awasiw - The Place of Hope
• Government of Canada announces additional agreements with municipalities on homelessness
• Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy

DYK Source: Leading the effort to end encampments and address homelessness in Canada - Canada.ca