Regina community group hoping $1M church for sale could help support the homeless – Regina

With an increasing number of Regina residents facing food insecurity or homelessness, a local group is looking at a former church as a potential solution.

The former Trinity Lutheran Church is now on the market for $1.19 million. The Hawk Principle Community Service Cooperative aims to acquire the building to support the homeless population.

Hawk Principle is a mutual aid organization based in Regina, dedicated to providing ongoing assistance to those in need in the heritage area.

To cover the building’s cost and fund their programs connecting individuals to services, the team will require over $2 million.

“The network of services that everyone assumes exists in Regina doesn’t always meet the needs overnight,” explained Shawn Koch, co-director of Hawk Principle.

Koch emphasized the need for more and better spaces for people to warm up and have a meal.

“Between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., there’s currently nowhere for people to go,” she said. “We would like to establish a supper program during those hours, and this church offers ample space to develop comprehensive programming.”

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The hope is that a new community hub would alleviate some of the strain on other organizations serving the homeless.

“This is a temporary measure to help ease the burden on Carmichael Outreach, downtown services, the police, and the new Eagles Club shelter,” said Hawk Principle member Morgan Orthner.

The organizers specifically mentioned their desire to assist Carmichael Outreach in addressing its increasing demands.

“We aim to have overlapping availability so that when our services end, individuals can transition seamlessly to Carmichael without any gaps,” explained Hawk Principle member Morgan Orthner.

However, acquiring the church presents challenges, not only due to the price tag but also due to competing interests.

Sarah Dymund, the former Trinity Lutheran Church pastor, mentioned that there has been interest from other potential buyers for the building.

“We have had several viewings and a couple of other groups are considering it,” she stated. “We have someone coming in to view the building tomorrow. We are waiting for an offer that the trustees will accept.”

With time running out, Koch stated that the group is aiming to kickstart their fundraising efforts soon.

“Ideally by March 1, we would have raised a million dollars, moved in, and everything would be running smoothly,” Koch expressed.

If the building is sold to another party, Koch affirmed that they will continue to search for a new space to support the community.

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