HUB helps local community members in need of support
When a Meadow Lake resident is in crisis, they can turn to the HUB.
The referral-based program started as a Ministry of Justice initiative called Building Partnerships to Reduce Crime. The HUB’s approach brings together agencies like school divisions, corrections, social services, and RCMP to offer assistance when someone in the community is experiencing a crisis and has nowhere left to turn. There are HUB groups in communities across Saskatchewan including the Meadow Lake chapter, which was founded in 2014.
If traditional intervention methods fail, clients are referred to the HUB partners without using names, in order to ensure privacy. The HUB’s workers then identify who is best suited to assist, and those involved approach the at-risk individuals or groups in person. The Meadow Lake group serves the city and Flying Dust First Nation, and has handled 92 cases over the past four years.
Heather Krissa, counsellor with Northwest School Division and member of the HUB committee, said their approach allows for resources and expertise to be shared.