{"id":550077,"date":"2026-07-29T20:11:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T20:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/550077\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T20:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T20:11:14","slug":"the-nest-drop-in-centre-enriches-life-for-those-with-mental-illness-in-prince-albert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/550077\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nest drop-in centre enriches life for those with mental illness in Prince Albert"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

Holly Knife says she doesn’t feel alone anymore, after finding connections with other people at The Nest drop-in centre in Prince Albert.<\/p>\n

The 59-year-old said she suffers from schizophrenia and has been coming downtown to the centre for many years. She’s taken part in programs run by the Prince Albert branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), social activities and now works shifts at The Nest’s canteen and serving coffee.<\/p>\n

Her mental health condition has made it difficult to maintain employment and she’s grateful for the work, Knife said.<\/p>\n

“My illness can take a toll on me sometimes, but I have a lot of friends,” she said. “I’m glad I’ve got this little job to do.”<\/p>\n

The Nest drop-in centre is a “safe-space” for people to create social connections, said Prince Albert’s CMHA branch director Elann Impey. It serves about 20 to 40 clients daily.<\/p>\n

“It’s an escape for them,” she said, adding that many of the clients live with a caregiver and have very little opportunity for social interaction.<\/p>\n

The CMHA’s Prince Albert branch provides advice and resources to people struggling with mental health conditions such as autism, anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. It has been operating in the community for 30 years.<\/p>\n

\"AElann Impey, director of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Prince Albert branch, encourages those suffering from mental illness to explore the support services offered in the community to help break social isolation. (Lisa Risom\/CBC)<\/p>\n

“Lots of people don’t know about it, so it’s my job to make sure everyone knows what we do,” said Impey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many people don’t know where to go for help and she often helps direct people to resources, she said.<\/p>\n

“If it takes me an hour to have a conversation with someone on the phone to get them the right stuff that they need, I’m going to take the hour on the phone and talk to them,” Impey said.<\/p>\n

WATCH | Nest drop-in centre a safe place for people with mental illness:\"\"<\/p>\n

Nest drop-in centre a safe place for people with mental illness<\/p>\n

The Nest drop-in centre, run by the Prince Albert, Sask., branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, is helping to break the social isolation often associated with mental illness. It also helps clients connect to housing and employment.<\/p>\n

The branch gets financial support from the Saskatchewan Health Authority. People wanting to access their services require a referral from a mental health nurse.<\/p>\n

CMHA also helps connect people to housing and has 26 units for clients who are able to live independently.<\/p>\n

Some of their independent clients are employed by SARCAN and Kin Enterprises Inc.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“They are happy that they get to have their independence, that that’s not taken away from them, and be able to do things on their own with some support,” said Impey.<\/p>\n

\"AJenna Klassen says she loves coming to The Nest drop-in centre to socialize. (Lisa Risom\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Jenna Klassen, 31, is an independent client who works at SARCAN and at The Nest preparing food. She said she also comes to the drop-in centre to socialize.<\/p>\n

“I love coming here every day. I love the people. I love hanging out. Like you can play pool, there’s different things you can come and do,” said Klassen.<\/p>\n

LISTEN | Saskatchewan’s 811 HealthLine offers confidential help with mental health:<\/p>\n

The Morning Edition – Sask7:40Saskatchewan’s 811 HealthLine, confidential with mental health and addictions advice<\/p>\n

Feeling unwell but not sure it is enough to see a doctor? Not sure if it is worth braving the weather? You can call 811 to find out – the healthline has been offered for years in the province and creator Dr. Puneet Kapur joins us to learn more.<\/p>\n

Some of the activities at the centre include bingo, karaoke, bowling, beading, a sharing circle and hydroponics. There’s also classes in art, music, photography and writing.<\/p>\n

Community members are invited to join the CMHA’s Prince Albert branch for its 30-year anniversary celebration, which will take place Wednesday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 155 12th Street West. The event will feature information booths, prize draws, live music, children’s activities and a 50\/50 draw. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":550078,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[134,554,555,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-550077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=550077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/550078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=550077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=550077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=550077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}