Recently, the Southwest Newcomer Welcome Centre successfully applied for the Emergency Community Support Fund, provided by the Government of Canada and administered by United Way Regina.

Deanna Baje, Acting Executive Director with the center details the application process.

"So we were able to send in an application and it successfully got accepted and we were approved for $20,000. The program that we applied for was called Newcomer Access Package."

Baje details what was purchased with the funds.

"So the Newcomer Access Package we included the technology access package as well as the driver's education. We also had some transportation and moving vouchers."

Twenty-three newcomers received laptops, while additional clients were served by driver education, moving and taxi vouchers, as well as municipal SwiftTransit, passes for new clients. Baje also acknowledges the Family Resource Centre and Great Plains College for supporting the grant application and helping to design the program.

In regards to receiving the funding, Baje says it was very important as there are families really in need of support for access to technology.