They've had some time to enjoy their building, and everyone involved with Moose Jaw Families for Change is pleased with their new location as they've had some time to settle in at the now-closed Conexus Building on South Hill.

Back in June the organization purchased the building and began renovations soon after, and while there still is more work to be put into the building everyone is happy with the move and excited to be a part of the South Hill community.

"Up until now, we've been operating all of our functions out of group homes that we run. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want office space operating underneath where I live, plus programming opportunities and other stuff," Families for Change Program Coordinator, Mike Bachiu said. "You're really limited when it comes to social inclusion and getting out into the community so we really want to make that jump and get our offices out of there and provide a place for people to go to."

Having a general area to gather in now makes it easier for them to run workshops and classes now that they don't have to run them in a business or in someone's home.

In regards to renovations, it was definitely a bigger project than they expected. One example Bachiu gave was having the plumbing only in the basement, which is challenging especially with the wide range of people that Families for Change serves. They did have to bring all the plumbing up to the main floor, but that also allows them to have three bathrooms in the building and two kitchenettes.

In the building, they have changed the vault into a storage room, using the locked cupboards to store medication, opened the space up, fixed their flooring, and they're also adding a care room for their building. 

Now, they have some goals set for their new space.

"Well short term, we're going to be getting our day program up and running but hoping by next year we'll be operating it as a community centre in the evenings and weekends," Bachiu said. "Soon we'll have functions for the community at large to come in and participate in different activities."

Moose Jaw Families for Change is a non-profit organization that supports individuals of varying abilities in both residential and community-based environments and promotes independence among those who they help.