A new support program for LGBTQ+ individuals in communities across Saskatchewan is now up and running, thanks to a joint partnership between Regina’s UR Pride, Moose Jaw Pride and OUTSaskatoon.
The three organizations have come together to create four peer navigator positions, spread out across the province to help provide counselling and support services for LGBTQ+ communities who may be struggling due to the pandemic.
The program launched at the beginning of September, introducing peer navigators in Regina, Saskatoon and Yorkton, with the position in the far north region of the province remaining unfilled.
Peer navigator Laura Budd, who uses the pronouns she and her, is the representative serving the south region of the province. She will be working remotely from Yorkton in partnership with Moose Jaw Pride, but the program is really set up as a network of support across all three peer navigators.
“We’re a team,” said Budd. “The three of us working together can share the load, and we all have expertise, whether it's work experience or education or our lived experience. We can help a large portion of our queer community because we are their peers, we’ve been through a lot of the things people are struggling with and we have the knowledge of the system they’ll need to support them.”
The goal is to provide supports and answer questions on any range of topics, said Budd, to help LGBTQ+ individuals with things they may be struggling with right now.
“We do everything from one-on-one peer support where a person calls in for just somebody to talk to, to [connecting] them to all of the services that are in place for them, that maybe they weren’t aware of or don’t know how to navigate or how to advocate for themselves,” said Budd.
This includes housing, employment, food security, transportation, mental wellness and even social isolation concerns, among others.
Working with a collective of volunteers across the province, all three peer navigators will be available up to 60 hours a week to provide support, skills and information on any issues affecting clients who reach out.
“We know people have an immediate need [right now]. People are in unsustainable housing, folks have lost their employment or are seeking employment in a difficult time, some are having challenges with finances,” said Budd. “That’s what we’re there for, to help them through that.”
As an initiative that began with UR Pride, the program is entirely free to access and funded through the federal emergency grant by way of Red Cross.
The idea for the program stemmed from concerns from Saskatchewan Pride organizations about a lack of accessible supports in rural areas of the province, alongside the expectation that LGBTQ individuals would be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, both in terms of financial instability and concerns about social isolation.
“Some folks just don’t have that support, and we’re here to bridge that gap,” said Budd. “And we’re there to be that buffer as well, to ensure that those organizations, those supports and those people they do contact are queer-friendly and respectful as well.”
Each peer navigator brings with them a unique experience and set of skills to offer, said Budd, and the program will work provincially to ensure all LGBTQ+ people who reach out are properly supported.
“There are only three of us and we know this is a vast province, so we're going to do our best to be as timely as possible in responding to calls and conversations to make sure people get what they need,” said Budd.
The new peer navigators will be providing services until November when the program ends, but Budd said the program isn’t considered to be a “short term solution.”
“We’re here to help if somebody is struggling right in the moment or for more longterm things,” said Budd. “I know this is a short-term project but we’re here to have a sustained impact, so we want folks to connect with the people they need to so our work can set them up for success in the future.”
A toll-free phone number to reach out to the program is in the works, along with more promotional information.
For now, those in the southern part of the province can reach out to Laura Budd by calling 1 (306) 795-5044 or emailing her at laura@moosejawpride.ca.
