Accessibility and Inclusion at the Heart of Facility Upgrades

Accessibility and Inclusion

AT THE HEART OF FACILITY UPGRADES

Grand Opening at Wheatland Regional Centre in Rosetown

Over the past year, SARC’s Facility Planner supported over 50 SARC Members with their facility-related opportunities and questions.Whether it was one of the many scheduled construction meetings or simply a conversation on how to make their facility better, it was easy to see that our Members’ priorities and planned improvements focused on their clients.

Members went to great lengths to accommodate every client in order to meet their accessibility needs. Many building changes were made to meet the need of one individual or to increase the quality of facilities to increase their capacity of who could be included in their services. Living and recreational spaces that are accessible, inclusive, and safe for each person supported was at the forefront of facility planning.

Day Programs

The Ministry of Social Services continued capital funding, for the third year in a row, to day program building renovations and new construction. Again, in 2019, $1.275M was divided among 10 CBOs for day centre improvements, and SARC had the privilege of working with 8 of them. The focus of most of these renovations, apart from the overall upgrading of well-used buildings, was to improve the accessibility of washrooms. More effort and building space was dedicated to creating private personal care rooms complete with ceiling tracks, accessible showers and changing areas. Those needing more support in this regard certainly benefit from these renovations, and everyone gets to enjoy the new space.

Housing

Accessibility and safety for the individual resident were increased: ■ Many Members made changes to washrooms to make them more accessible. ■ A number of homes had fire sprinklers installed, and all homes in the province increased their fire safety in accordance with the new fire code requirements. ■ Members across the province have started to look at the possibility of putting their unfinished basements to better use as secondary suites so that people could transition in a safe and supported way from group home living to a more independent living situation. There are still many group homes across the province that are not accessible, and Members continue to discuss their need for replacement homes with CLSD. SARC Members are focused on finding ways to make their organizations and facilities more accessible and inclusive to all, and SARC is honoured to play a supporting role in these important initiatives. We also look forward to the opportunity for SARC and SARC Members to participate in community engagement discussions over the coming year as part of establishing Saskatchewan’s new accessibility Act.

The Valley View Centre (VVC) transition project came to a conclusion in Fall 2019. In total, 36 new homes were purchased, renovated, or built to support 153 former VVC residents in the community. SARC Members were an integral part of this milestone in our province and have been very proud to help with these successful transitions. The Ministry had plans in place to celebrate the completion with the sector that unfortunately had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, but we look forward to that opportunity in the future.