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The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) and past workers and residents of Raising Hope are calling for the immediate removal of the program’s directors and members of staff.
Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, the group levelled accusations of abuse at the hands of workers, and a culture that punishes vulnerable residents for speaking about how they are treated. Run by the Street Workers Advocacy Project (SWAP), the program helps “pregnant or early post-partum women who struggle with substance abuse issues as well as a number of other issues including homelessness or substandard/dangerous housing,” according to its description.
Grieving father joins calls to overhaul Regina non-profit Raising Hope cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Social Services calls in third-party to review Regina women’s shelter after First Nations woman’s death
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations wants to be apart of a review of Regina’s Raising Hope Program operated by the Street Workers Advocacy Project after the death of a former First Nations resident.
The FSIN said that Marilyn Gordon of the George Gordon First Nation was evicted from the women’s shelter four months prior to her death and that several staff members resigned or were terminated after a change in management.
“These homes are for prevention and the protection of our vulnerable First Nations women,” said FSIN Vice Chief Heather Bear.
Panico makes natural deodorant under the name Sencilla in her Litchfield Park home. Â
âThe reason I started Sencilla is because my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 34 and I was 12,â Panico said of her mother, Marilyn Gordon. âShe used to run a lot of marathons. She would run up and down Squaw Peak twice in a day. She was very athletic. She was always using a lot of deodorant.Â
âWhen she found the lump in her armpit, we thought it was from the toxic deodorant she was using all these years.â
Gordon died of bone cancer at age 38. Since then, Panico, now 48, has used natural deodorant. At first, she couldnât find the right one.Â
The Chaparral High School graduate makes natural deodorant under the name Sencilla in her home. Â
âThe reason I started Sencilla is because my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 34 and I was 12,â Panico said of her mother, Marilyn Gordon. âShe used to run a lot of marathons. She would run up and down Squaw Peak twice in a day. She was very athletic. She was always using a lot of deodorant.Â
âWhen she found the lump in her armpit, we thought it was from the toxic deodorant she was using all these years.â
Gordon died of bone cancer at age 38. Since then, Panico, now 48, has used natural deodorant. At first, she couldnât find the right one.Â