Community group wants to convert historic Regina church into support hub for homeless

A community organization wants to breathe new life into a historic building in Regina.

Trinity Lutheran Church in Regina shut down last month and is now up for sale. Community advocates are working to buy it and convert it into a multi-use facility with wraparound supports for homeless people.

Hawk Principle is a community organization in Regina. Its goal is to raise $1 million to purchase the building and another million annually to run it.

Shawn Koch, co-director of Hawk Principle, said the effort is a response to a failing system that is leaving people without basic needs like food and shelter.

"This is a stopgap measure to help take away some of the pressure from Carmichael's outreach downtown, from the police, from the new [shelter in the former] Eagles Club that's going to be made," Koch said.

The plan is to offer three meals a day, as well as cultural connections and educational opportunities. The group is launching a fundraising campaign this week on GiveSendGo.

Koch said supporting people with food, shelter and connection not only helps individuals, but saves money in the long run.

With the population in Regina growing and social issues continuing to mount, he talked about the urgent need for community-based solutions.

"There's people out there freezing and dying on the streets who need some help," he said.

"Enough is enough."

WATCH | Latest numbers shed light on homelessness crisis in major Sask. cities: 

Latest numbers shed light on homelessness crisis in major Sask. cities

1 month ago

Duration 1:49

A new count of homeless people in Saskatoon, conducted by volunteers on Oct. 8, identified 1,499 people without housing that day. That's nearly three times higher than the 2022 count, which identified 550. In Regina, 824 people were experiencing homelessness in 2024, up from 232. That's an increase of nearly 255 per cent since a similar count in 2015.

Koch said people don't have a place to go between 4 and 7 p.m.

"We want to have times available so that when we're done, they're able to go to Carmichael and there are no gaps in between," Morgan Orthner, another member of Hawk Principle, said.

She said that while there's a need for shelters that offer basic warmth and safety, people also need real connections.

Orthner said many facing homelessness don't have personal support networks, so there aren't many places to turn. Without a referral, support worker or access to a hospital, they often feel stuck. For Indigenous people in particular, the fear of judgment and discrimination can make them hesitant to seek help in traditional settings like hospitals, she said.

Sarah Dymund, the former pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, said other potential buyers have also shown interest in the building.

"We have had several showings. We have a couple of other groups that are considering. I know someone's coming to see the building tomorrow. So we're just waiting for the offer that the trustees accept and that all the conditions get removed and, and then we'll go," she said.

Koch is hoping that they can begin raising the funds soon and wants to have the million dollars ideally by March. He said that even if the building is sold to someone else, he will continue to look for a new space to serve the community.