Family Unification
Baby Steps
Whether or not the mothers have custody of their children, moms in the Baby Steps program live in the home with their children, helping to strengthen their bond.
Who is it for?
- Mothers who want to remove the obstacles that are separating them from their children, or who are at risk of being separated from their children.
Supported by
- Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy.
- The Ministry of Social Services.
- The City of Saskatoon.
- Colleen and Wally Mah.
Program highlights
- Moms are provided support and guidance to build parenting skills.
- 24-hour in house staff available.
- Moms can make personal plans.
- Helps moms transition to parent on their own.
Current features
Support and guidance
Women in the Baby Steps program are provided with support and guidance to build their parenting skills and work on personal plans for healing and positive change. Parents and children are supported by 24-hour in-house staff, Baby Steps Outreach, Parent Support, The Ministry of Social Services and resources in the community.
A personal plan for moving forward
Mothers’ personal plans may include addiction recovery, mental health support, overcoming domestic violence and past trauma, and gaining education or skills. Once the mother is ready to parent on her own, she is relocated into continuum housing in the program to begin transitioning her children fully into her care.
Mah’s Place
Located next door to the Baby Steps home, Mah’s Place is a continuum of the Baby Steps Program.
Who is it for?
- Mothers who are in the final stage of transitioning their children back into their care.
Supported by
- Wally and Colleen Mah.
- Northridge Developments.
Program highlights
- Home accommodates two families.
- A place for moms to care for their children independently.
Current features
Independent supported living
This independent supported living home is designed to accommodate two separate families. Mothers in the home are confident and prepared to care for their children independently as they have acquired the skills and tools needed to parent their children safely.
Cameron House
Cameron House is a supported independent home open to mothers transitioning from the Baby Steps Program or other forms of more supported housing.
Who is it for?
- Vulnerable single mothers who are working towards financial and personal independence.
Referrals
- Family Services.
- Community programs.
- Self-referral.
Supported by
- A generous endowment from the estate of the late William Henry Cameron.
Current features
Preparing for independent living
The families in the home are there due to past struggles in their lives that have forced them to delay their education, personal or career goals. With help from support workers, moms learn to budget, improve life skills and parenting skills, engage in education and counseling, and prepare for their transition into independent living.
Parent Support & Teen Parent Outreach
Parent Support helps young moms and dads with fine tuning their parenting skills when and where needed, in their home and in the community.
Who is it for?
- Teen Parent Outreach works with teen parents between the ages of 12 to 19 years old.
- Teen parents living in high risk conditions
- Parent Support works with parents that reside in our residential programming
Referrals
- EGADZ Outreach Services
- In-house living programs.
- Community agencies
Supported by
- Teen Parent Outreach is supported by Community Action Program for Children.
- Parent Support is funded by the Ministry of Social Services.
Current features
The ultimate in teaching and guidance
EGADZ started offering Parent Support in October 2011, and thanks to support from CAPC, in 2021, we redesigned the EGADZ Teen Parent Program to offer this same parent outreach service to teen parents in the community. Working hand in hand with other EGADZ programming teams and community agencies, the Parent Outreach workers ensure the young parents in the program are receiving the ultimate in teaching and guidance.
Addressing parenting concerns
Parent Support staff do home visits regularly where they work with parents to help them address any parenting concerns. Parent Support staff also accompany families to and from outings, educational classes, doctor appointments and other appointments. Staff help moms connect to community resources such as budgeting classes, pediatricians, postpartum groups, postpartum counseling, food nutritionists, and many other agencies to help our moms and dads get the most out of resources available to them.
Changing lives through youth-directed programs
The needs of children, youth and their families are the primary focus in the design and delivery of our programs and services.