Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation will be opening its first women’s shelter in December.
The shelter was created for women or families that are seeking help from domestic violence or an unsafe home.
The first of it’s kind on Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, you will find 10 suites, five of those are designed to support families, which includes two queen beds and a bunk bed. There is also suites that are singles, and some with two beds.
The shelter offers more than just a bed to sleep in at night, they also carry a computer room to help women find a new home, a tv room, kitchen, kids room, cultural room, and a gathering area.
Chief Sheldon Sunshine says this shelter has been a long time coming for the community.
“We’re very excited, this has been a longtime coming, years of work from several different leaderships, and to see that we are on the verge of opening I cant even put it into words.”
With hopes that the shelter will become open by December 15th, Executive Director of the shelter Brett Bowman says the journey is just about to begin.
“I feel that we are ready to start this new journey with the nation, and offer assistance to the women and children who are in tight situations.”
The shelter will be seeking donations for the foreseeable future, needing extra items to help provide the families that may be coming through, with items such as kid’s clothing, toiletries, formula, and diapers.
