“This is a pattern”: Father and 5 children from Regina are on the street after being evicted from a social housing apartment

A Regina father and his five children have been left homeless after being evicted from a government housing unit on Wednesday following several noise complaints.

Because children were involved, the situation should have been handled differently, says the opposition NDP from Saskatchewan after the locks on the house were changed and the family was locked out of the house.

The family said they asked for help but were fobbed off. They had enough money for one night in a motel but then contacted their local MP's office for more help.

The mother, Rena Nepinak, said many organizations knew about the father's situation.

“All the programs knew. Saskatchewan Income Support knew, Regina Housing knew. They all knew he was going to be evicted, but he stayed here and had no alternative,” she said.

Nepinak said the children's father first called Saskatchewan Income Support and then Regina Housing, which referred him back to the social assistance agency.

“So this family came to our office to get help. They were evicted from Regina Housing. They say it was due to noise complaints. They were not behind on rent or utilities and we were quite shocked,” said NDP MP Meara Conway.

A similar incident involving a senior citizen from Regina who suddenly became homeless led to the province stepping in and providing support.

“We're seeing a pattern of a lack of really basic things when this administration fails to provide housing for seniors and children. I mean, that's very concerning,” Conway said.

The NDP MP's office arranged an appointment for the family at the social services office. The government sent a taxi to take them and their belongings to the social services office. In a written statement, the government said: “The Social Services Department supports families facing complex challenges.”

It is not known where the family of six will go next, but the government usually provides motel accommodation until housing is found.