Volunteers renovate Homeward Bound building
A group of hardworking volunteers got together this week to renovate one of the shared lounges at a Prince Albert apartment building that houses at-risk individuals.
The Branion Dr. building is operated by Homeward Bound, a YMCA program meant to help at-risk individuals overcome their personal issues by placing them into stable housing. Homeward Bound Manager Dave Hobden said the initiative provides people with the stability of a home, which will then allow them to tackle broader issues such as addictions, mental health and life skills.
“You can’t expect somebody who’s on the streets to worry about addictions,” he said. “Once they’re in the house, then we start providing supports.”
Hobden said Homeward Bound operates two apartment buildings and several houses around the city. About 120 at-risk men, women and children are currently housed through Homeward Bound, he said, and roughly 40 have been able to move out of the program on their own since it started in 2014.