PROVINCE PROVIDES FUNDING TO NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS

The Department of Regional Economic and Co-operative Development is providing a total of $400,000 in funding to three Neighbourhood Development Organizations (NDO) to aid in ongoing organizational development and core funding support.

Quint Development Corporation of Saskatoon, River Bank Development Corporation of Prince Albert, and Connecting as Neighbors Co-operative in Moose Jaw are all recipients of the funding.

"This money is designed to help those in lower income, inner-city areas of the province," Minister of Regional Economic and Co-operative Development Lon Borgerson said. "It will help them to address community economic development needs and opportunities in their areas, encouraging them to grow and thrive."

Quint Development Corporation of Saskatoon says the funding does great things for their organizations. "The core funding received through the NDO program recognizes the important role that community economic development organizations like Quint can play in reducing poverty, building community capacity, and locally controlling development in low income urban neighbourhoods of Saskatoon," Manager of Quint Len Usisken said.

"In addition to starting the SaskFerco community gardens, addressing serious housing needs for lower-income families, and publishing the community services directory, the funding from the NDO initiative has allowed us to perform a coordinating role for all of the community development organizations in Moose Jaw," Executive Director of Connecting as Neighbours Co-operative Angela Konkin said.

River Bank Development Corporation Inc. in Prince Albert provides a number of services to the community, including recycling programs and housing assistance. "We are pleased to work with Regional Economic and Co-operative Development to provide these opportunities for Prince Albert families," manager Brian Howell said.

The $400,000 is made available through the Neighbourhood Development Organization initiative, which was launched in August 1998. Since its inception, the program has provided over $3 million to the three NDOs, helping them to establish programs and services to directly benefit the people in their area.

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For more information, contact:

Jenna Robertson
Communications
Regina
Phone: 306-787-2359
Email: jroberts@agr.gov.sk.ca