Where Families Can Find Help: The North Central Family Centre
In 2015, Niah and her young daughter were living in an apartment on 5 Ave in Regina, across the street from the North Central Family Centre (NCFC). Often waiting at a nearby bus stop, it wasn’t long before they met Sandy – the Centre’s founder and former director – and became friends, sharing snacks and stories as the kids played. They didn’t know it yet, but this chance meeting and introduction to the NCFC would totally change the lives of Niah and her family.
Reaching Out For Help
After a brief move to Ontario, Niah returned to Regina in 2019 with a new addition – her son Marcus, less than six months old. “When we came back, I needed help with finding housing,” she recalls. She remembered Sandy and her kindness from years prior, and reached out to the NCFC to see if they could assist in the search. “That’s how we started coming here again. And then, they had the literacy program – so me, and both of my children, would come to class there.”
The NCFC is a non-profit charity, with a focus on providing support and services for whole families as a unit. They feed about 75 kids every day, offering different programs that cover a spectrum of ages and needs: education and GEDs, housing support, employment workshops, skill building, and more. So, with her housing situation secured, Niah was surprised at how much other help was available at the NCFC – both for her kids and for herself.
“When I first moved into the apartment, I didn’t really have any help. It was my first house living on my own, so it was a big struggle. But then, when I started coming here, having other people supporting me made life so much easier,” she says, listing off examples. “I used the REACH [Refugee Engagement and Community Health Clinic] program, so I needed help with that. Help with faxing stuff, because I’m on SIS [Saskatchewan Income Support] right now. I need help with food sometimes, when we’re struggling. I did the employment program a few years back – both for help with resumes and to find work.”
She beams as she talks about the NCFC staff and their community work, who have inspired her to give back in return. “Niah has volunteered, too,” says MJ Deans-Beynham, Director of Development at the NCFC. “When I’ve been in need of some extra help, she’s volunteered for some classes I’ve taught and different things we do. So, it works both ways. We support each other – she’s referred her sister to come to our classes, to get help from housing and health outreach. Her nephew Joe was a volunteer and then had employment here. It spreads the goodness and the kindness.”
A Place for Healthier, Happier Kids
The literacy program is a highlight of the NCFC’s offerings – while active, it runs twice a week after school. It helps children like Niah’s to build and maintain their reading and academic skills. But it creates a foundation for much more beyond that.
“My son was just six months old when we started coming here. My daughter was four,” Niah explains. Since then, the program has helped to develop social, behavioral, and emotional skills, and the difference is noticeable. “Now they’re five and nine. They both love coming here…My daughter, she’s just like me, shy and quiet. But now, she talks so much more, with everyone. She’s making lots of friends in the program.”
This effect is even clearer with her son, Marcus. “He was a handful,” MJ laughs. “And he’s just grown into himself with so much more confidence, because of those opportunities. He’s very well socialized, even though he was at those early learning years when he had to stay in a house for two years. He’s so comfortable with everyone, and he has a big support group because the other mothers knew him since he was a baby. They’re looking out for him and rooting for him. He will just be that much more successful in school because of the community that Niah looked for and found and kept.”
“It’s probably one of the only places in North Central that will help us with everything that you need,” Niah says with a smile. “You have other places, but they will only help with one thing. But when you come here? You can get help with everything.”
