The Fraternal Order of Eagles in Regina will soon be moved out of their home, as a recently-approved emergency shelter by city council is set to move into the location.
Where they go from here remains a mystery, but they’re staying hopeful as they face the unknown.
The Eagles Club has called 1600 Halifax St. home since 1985, when their members built it from the ground up.
“When you take a look around and you see the improvements that were done to a lumber yard, (the results) are pretty good,” Bill Gray, the Eagles Club secretary said. “Unfortunately, that legacy is done. There’s probably no recovering from that and so we get to I guess find someplace else and try and trudge on to the future.”
On Nov. 30, the club will be moved out of the building for the new shelter. But the exit strategy is still up in the air as they have yet to identify a new home.
“We all know (the change) is for a good cause, but I think the community is being broken up a little bit,” Eagles Club member Michele Foraie said. “We’re all hopeful that we can continue on in another location.”
Foraie is one of 644 members who call the club home.
“We’re trying to come here as much as we possibly can to support the club and help out in any way that we can,” Foraie went on to say.
For Gray, part of the frustrations with leaving the location come down to members and staff.
“It’s just the human aspect of it,” Gray said. “Like our members — they have no place to go just yet. There’s lots of places to go but not the Eagles Club. Our servers, our cooks and our staff…they’ll have to find employment somewhere else which is sad.”
Tara Regan is one of those servers.
“It’s very upsetting,” Regan said. “This place became home, so it is kind of upsetting to have to leave. But it is what it is.”
Time is ticking for the non-profit. If they hope to remain a club, they will need to hold meetings, a location and more. And with hundreds of people waiting for a place to go, it could be a challenge. But they remain optimistic.
“We’re always hopeful. We gotta stay positive,” Grey said.