Scattered Site Outreach Program is located downtown La Ronge. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

service begins

Scattered Site reopens with funding commitment from provincial government

Jul 21, 2020 | 4:57 PM

The Scattered Site Outreach Program has already reopened after being temporarily closed at the end of June.

That’s according to Kikinahk Friendship Centre Executive Director Ron Woytowich, who said the program was only closed about one week before the Ministry of Health offered them a contact. When the La Ronge-based program shut down, Woytowich thought it would remain closed for at least one month.

“The provincial government contacted us and wanted us to reopen,” he said. “I think they realized how important Scattered Site is in respect to those clientele. I hate to say it became an emergency on someone else’s part, but suddenly everything fell into place and we have an insurance of funding.”

Two full-time staff including Jackie Ballantyne and Tina Johnson have been rehired, as well as one part-time staffer. The facility is also once again open during the day between Monday to Friday with the exclusion of stat holidays.

Scattered Site ran into issues after operating the Extended Hours Program into April and May when it generally only runs from Nov. 15 to March 31 annually. Mental health and addictions services at the facility are funded through the Saskatchewan Health Authority, while the Extended Hours Program is funded by the Provincial Métis Housing Corporation. The Community Initiatives Fund also provides assistance to Scattered Site.

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Woytowich noted while the program was able to find a supply of personal protective equipment during the closure, issues remain with the building the program is located in.

“The building itself is not in good shape and there’s a lot of things that had to happen,” he said. “Our intention was we just couldn’t operate anymore without any money because of the building.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno