Saskatoon Sanctum 36-Hour Challenge aims to highlight homelessness issues

The Sanctum 36-Hour Challenge is taking place on May 30 and 31 in Saskatoon with several community leaders experiencing issues related to homelessness.

Some of the participants this year include director of emergency management Pamela Goulden-McLeod and Minister of Advanced Education Gordon Wyant.

Executive director for Sanctum Care Group Katelyn Roberts said this is an event to raise awareness around issues of chronic disease and homelessness within the community and a fundraiser.

“We choose 10 community leaders, each make a commitment to raise $20,000, and then they’re exposed for 36 hours to various challenges within the community,” Roberts said.

1:12 Saskatoon mayor joins colleagues in experiencing 36-hour challenge related to homelessness

She said these challenges have been created by individuals with lived experience and front-line service providers.

Goulden-McLeod said the fire department asked if she would represent it in this event.

“I think it’s so important for me as a member of the fire department, we have a large role to play in responding to people who are experiencing homelessness,” Goulden-McLeod said.

She said anything she can do to build her understanding of what that work with the homeless community looks like will help her advocate better and make her grow as a leader.

She said she expects this to be challenging and that she will learn a great deal over those 36 hours.

“Everyone I’ve spoken to that has participated in this challenge says that it changes you.”

Roberts said the general consensus with this challenge is that it’s transformative for people’s understanding of poverty and homelessness.

She stressed that this challenge isn’t meant to replicate what true homelessness is, but instead shine a light on those issues.