LEIPZIG, Sask. — Over the last 14 years, Prairie Sky Recovery Centre has helped many women clients who have been victims of domestic violence and abuse.
Many of the women clients have also lost custody of their children through active addiction. For some, addiction has been a generational curse and have never had the benefit of a healthy loving home or a safe environment to grow. It is PSR’s intention to provide such a space.
The 3,000-square-foot house, built in 1917, was recently renovated to house women clients in a safe, secure home all their own. The space was developed into four shared rooms of two beds each, one staff room, one single room and one dedicated family room for children visitation. There is also a facilitation space for the women clients to work on programs built specifically to address issues many of the women clients have faced, such as intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, parenting in recovery, financial literacy, healthy boundaries and anger management. This space will also allow PSR staff to host workshops on resume building, meal planning and household budgeting. A bright kitchen and large living room round out the main floor.
This space will operate differently than PSR’s main residence, which will now host all the male clients. Traditionally, the main residence provides housekeeping and kitchen staff to serve the clients. Starlight House will be operated as more of a regular home where the clients will be scheduled for duties such as meal planning, shopping, preparation and cooking. They will also be scheduled for housekeeping, which will all be overseen by a Residential Recovery Coach (RRC). It is PSR’s intention that the clients are empowered to know how to properly run and maintain a household so that they can provide a safe, healthy, clean environment for their own families upon their return.
While the women clients will be travelling to the main building throughout the day to attend programming, they will return to their home after class for a number of scheduled activities and meetings. The RRC will oversee all their supervision, evening activities such as movie night, games night (where the clients will learn a host of card and board games to play with their own families), homework time and gratitude meetings.
Family reunification is a big element of this house. It is PSR’s intention to host supervised weekend visits between the clients and their children. Often, return of the children after having a period of separation can be scary for both mom and kids. This allows the client to have support and time to get reacquainted with their kids while in early sobriety. The family room will be outfitted with bunk beds, a single bed and a playpen for smaller children. It is PSR’s intention that the children will have a safe, comfortable environment to come to while mom is still in treatment. As a result, more staff will be required to ensure the safety of the children and clients.
Staffing will include a full-time registered social worker to support case planning for family reunification, long-term housing and working in conjunction will legal and/or child and family services.
About the Name
Starlight Cardinal is a Prairie Sky Recovery Centre client. She came to PSR after 11 years of active addiction, seeking help to find a better life for herself and her children.
Throughout the process of education, counselling and self-examination, Starlight and Prairie Sky have discovered many aspects of Starlight’s journey that required unique supports, prompting the development of new programs to address issues such as domestic violence, parenting in recovery, and ultimately the newest building — a women’s only house with a focus on family re-unification through extended, supported child visitation.
PSR hopes these services will help serve Starlight and her children as well as the many women to come after her. PSR is honored to name their new women-only facility after Starlight Cardinal. She has shown tremendous courage, growth and is a great example of the fierce spirit of a mother wanting to make life better for her children and herself.
It is PSR’s hope that once Starlight is finished her one-year program, she will join them as a staff member so that she can share her experience, faith and hope for others who have walked her path. PSR looks forward to sharing in Starlight’s journey in recovery, and hope that today she is as proud of her efforts as the staff of PSR are.
