The work hasn't stopped in the last 12 months at La Ronge's Kikinahk Friendship Centre. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

community needs

‘We are still here’: Kikinahk staff play pivotal role during COVID-19 pandemic response

Mar 23, 2021 | 5:10 PM

When widescale shutdowns and layoffs occurred in La Ronge due to the coronavirus pandemic last March, staff at La Ronge’s Kikinahk Friendship Centre remained ready to serve.

Before the pandemic, Kikinahk was well-known for its after school youth programming, which attracted up to 60 kids each night. In total, approximately 700 people were registered with some participants coming every day, while others would attend more sporadically.

That lively energy and spirit the young people brought to the facility came to a sudden end and Kikinahk staff quickly pivoted to different community-based roles.

“We’ve never shut our doors,” Kikinahk Executive Director Ron Woytowich said. “We are not working out of our homes. We are still here.”

In the months after the pandemic, Kikinahk hosted a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site and the gymnasium stored dozens of stretchers in case hospitalizations skyrocketed. At the same time, social programming continued like Headstart, as well as prenatal and family services. Health services through Project Hope also expanded in the building.

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Outside of the facility, Woytowich was also responsible for overseeing the Scattered Site Outreach Program located downtown La Ronge. That organization experienced issues with COVID-19 and had to shut down for a period of time as staff went into isolation. There were further difficulties later in the year when a second homeless shelter was opened through the Extended Hours Program.

Supervisor Lee-Wayne Nippi stands in front of one of the 15-passenger vans. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Ron Woytowich, right, stands with one of the new disinfection machines. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Kikinahk Friendship Centre served as a polling station for municipal and provincial elections during the pandemic. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

“It’s costed us $700,000 this year for the homeless shelter and everything else,” Woytowich said. “The truth is were not hurting because I was able to divert some funds. The fact we no longer need anyone at night for the youth funding, so I moved a person there. Every friendship centre got about $200,000 for COVID funding and I would have loved to use the funding for materials and to buy stuff, but I used it for the shelter.”

In the last 12 months, staff associated with Kikinahk ballooned to nearly 40 employees and the organization was able to secure funding or grants to further assist the tri-communities. For instance, Woytowich found funding for two 15-passenger vans, two ozone-generating disinfection devices, as well as tapped into a program to receive unsold restaurant food like veal, eggs and fish.

With the provincial government promising every Saskatchewan resident a vaccine by the end of June, Woytowich noted the day when operations return to normal at Kikinahk could be returning soon. He added, however, concerns about the coronavirus may linger for some time.

“If the provincial government says its OK for us to have youth coming in and doing everything, I’d talk to the staff and see if they are willing and feel safe enough to do it,” Woytowich said. “Quite frankly, if this was tomorrow and everything was nice and clear, I think we would still have to put a plan together as to how many we would allow to come in until we feel safe.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno