At Risk, Not Without Hope: From Survival to Sustainability in North Central

The executive director (ED) of North Central Family Centre (NCFC) faced a fundamental challenge: how to sustain and grow essential services in a community where they were not optional but critical. NCFC was a grassroots organization supporting hundreds of children, youth, and families in one of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in Regina, Saskatchewan: North Central. It played a vital role in helping to prevent and lessen some of the most devastating social and economic impacts experienced there. Despite its impact, NCFC continued to operate without consistent, reliable funding. The ED’s 60-day focus was on partnerships, raising strategic questions such as which partners should be pursued to help stabilize and grow NCFC, and how partnerships could be structured as strategic assets for its long-term financial and operational sustainability. Ultimately, the challenge was to build a sustainable and resilient organization without compromising its mission.