Str8 Up will be coming to Prince Albert thanks to funding from the province. (Str8 Up/str8-up.com)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Crime Prevention

P.A. groups get provincial support for anti-gang work

Dec 11, 2019 | 5:14 PM

The Government of Saskatchewan is going to spend over $4 million over the next four years to support anti-gang initiatives.

One of the groups getting support is Str8 Up, which is getting funding to deliver community intervention services to help people leave gangs. This funding will help Str8 Up set up in Prince Albert where they will be teaming up with West Flat Citizens Group and P.A. Outreach to deliver services in the city and area.

Dawn Robins, executive director with West Flat Citizens Group said it is important these services be offered in P.A.

“We are not the city of universities, we’re the city of jails and given that opportunity to be able to access programs for these men and women coming out of the facilities is important,” she said.

Robins explained with this increase in funding people looking for support will have access to longer term services to help them reintegrate into their communities.

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“We can walk with them, throughout their first years in the community,” she said.

The possible supports may include outreach, addictions and cultural support. West Flat Citizens Group has been operating a support group to help people transition. Robins said they are hoping to bring in some people who have come through this group to help those coming into the new program.

“We’ll be hiring people with lived experience, who have gone through the programs and are doing really well in their lives,” she said.

Robins said they are hoping to get fully up and running by February or March. One of the first orders of business will be finding office space to operate out of. When they get going the program will be able to provide support to over 50 people at a time.

Wes Clark, executive director of P.A. Outreach said his organization is looking forward to helping and offering support to Str8 Up. He said a service like this has been a long time coming to help people looking to leave gangs.

“It’s huge, there’s no question about it, this has been something the community’s been after for a number of years,” he said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn