The Society for the involvement of Good Neighbours (SIGN) first opened an office in Yorkton on May 1, 1969. To quote from one of the first newsletters that year, “SIGN hopes to produce the product called Community Unity, a community in which people care about people. So we promote co-operation between churches, service organizations and other agencies throughout the community.”

Today, SIGN offers two dozen services not only in Yorkton, but also in other communities in east-central Saskatchewan. We spoke with two previous executive directors and the current CEO about the growth of the organization, the services it offers and how they were developed, and we look beyond today to see where SIGN may go in the years ahead.

SIGN, the Society for the Involvement of Good Neighbours, provides two dozen important services to families and individuals in Yorkton and surrounding communities, including programs directly provided in Kamsack, Melville, Esterhazy and Fort Qu’Appelle. Some of our programs are delivered on behalf of various levels of government – municipal, provincial and federal – and we have contracts with governments that cover some or all of the costs, SIGN is also very dependent on self-generated revenue. Fees for services paid by governments cover about three-quarters of our total operating costs, and the remainder is money SIGN itself must raise so we can fully fund all we do.

Important sources of community funding are our donors. Without them we could not do what we do, because most of our programs are free, and others, like the Early Learning Centre and Senior Mobility, charge a nominal fee which falls far short of the cost of operating those programs.

SIGN Housing Support provides assistance with the challenge of finding housing in Yorkton. The program does not provide housing, but can assist by providing information and support when it comes to looking and applying for housing.

SIGN Housing support can be reached by email at housingsupport@signyorkton.ca, by phone at 306-783-0006 during regular business hours, or text 306-641-4421.

More about SIGN Housing Support can be found on the SIGN website.