Regina couple spent 5 months on brink of homelessness despite using many community, gov't resources

When Clint Saulteaux and Georgette 'Marie' Robinson imagined their life together, they never thought they'd one day find themselves living in a motel on the brink of homelessness.

Since April they said they have used at least 15 Regina community resources to help them get back on their feet and into stable housing. But they've been met by barrier after barrier. At one point they even looked into getting a tent, fearing they'd be on the street.

Then finally on Sunday morning, the couple learned the Regina community had rallied together over the weekend to get them past a final barrier, and into safe affordable housing. 

Saulteaux, of Carry the Kettle Nakoda First Nation in Saskatchewan, and Robinson, of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba, first met at a treatment centre in her province in 2015. Saulteaux, who has been sober for 36 years, frequently visited centres to share his story of recovery. 

When he first met Robinson, she was getting clean from crystal meth. She fell into addiction after the father of her children was murdered in front of her and their three kids.

"That was part of her trauma, and the fact that I was listening to a young single woman talk about wanting to be clean from all of this was what drew me to her at first," said Saulteaux, who was also a single parent at the time.

"I was being attracted to her resilience. Overcoming it all, still laughing, still having a good sense of humour."

Robinson got clean and the two fell in love in 2017. They had two children together, in addition to Robinson's three young children, and moved to the Regina's North Central neighbourhood in 2020.

"We were fast becoming a well-known little family because we took our children everywhere with us and people respected that, especially marginalized people. And they liked the fact that we were clean. They could tell we were clean," Saulteaux said.

Then hardship hit once again. 

Robinson's mother Lucy got sick with cancer in 2021. Robinson went back to Manitoba to be with her mother as she underwent treatment and saw traditional healers. 

Lucy was given only six months to live, but ultimately recovered. But soon she was feeling sick again. After going to hospital to get checked out in 2022, she contracted COVID-19 and died.

"It was really traumatic for us and especially for Marie. She was devastated," Saulteaux said.

Robinson relapsed, returning to alcohol and crystal meth like she had when the father of her children was killed.