By: Danielle Dufour
Executive Director Jacqualine Kennedy, of the Battleford Indian Metis Friendship Centre, is excited to talk about the success of their Reaching Homes program.
“We house people that are having a hard time finding homes,” said Kennedy. “Right now, we have 60 people actually housed, and we go in and give the supports, do home visits, we assist them with anything that needs done in their home.”
The friendship centre helps these individuals by offering programs to assist with budgeting, paying bills, and managing the home.
In 2020, the Battleford Friendship Centre opened a haven for 8 home.
“This is a house that we took 8 of the hardest to house people off the street, and they live in a home together,” said Kennedy. “We have 24-hour supervision, but they also learn to live as a family and learn to do basic life skills in this home.”
A couple of years ago, the centre opened Debbie’s Daycare.
“It’s a multicultural daycare and we have 42 spots which are filled,” said Kennedy. “We have a long waiting list and a lot of multicultural people working there. They do different cultural activities, food, and dress.”
The centre offers a women and wellness program where they make a variety of crafts and a free income tax service for those in need of tax reporting assistance.
They also run a weekly food bank with donations from the local Co-op grocery store.
Inside the friendship centre, they have 9 staff members, an additional 7 staff members at the Haven for 8 House, and 10 staff members that run the daycare.
Their annual round dance will be held on March 13th.
“We just had a women’s sweat,” said Kennedy. “We are one of the only people in the city of North Battleford that actually has a sweat in our backyard.”
Kennedy noted that “their doors are open for everyone to come in and that you do not need to be First Nations or Métis to go there.
“Everything is free,” said Kennedy. “We don’t charge for anything, and we try to celebrate special occasions with everybody.”
As part of their fundraising efforts, the centre runs bingo under the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) three nights per week.
On average, the centre sees about 10-15 people walk in daily, with thousands of people walking through their doors a year.
“On a day like today we have a lawyer here doing Indian hospital claims, so we’ve had tons of people,” said Kennedy.
For more information about the Battleford Indian Metis Friendship Centre programs and events, see their Facebook page.