Two Saskatoon organizations have secured a big funding boost to continued their operations.
Both the Okihtcitawak Patrol Group and Prairie Harm Reduction raised just over $40,000 in the last three weeks.
Saskatoon’s Kinsmen Club is matching the donations, raising the total to more than $81,000.
Prairie Harm Reduction said the funds will allow it to run its drop-in centre.
PHR also operates the only supervised consumption site in Saskatchewan.
The group is also asking the provincial government for $1.3 million in funding in the upcoming budget to keep the site open 24-7. However, PHR has also put in two additional requests for this year in case the $1.3 million is turned down — one for $$900,000 and another for $300,000.
Jason Mercredi, PHR’s executive director, told Global News last week that $900,000 will allow them to operate the site until midnight, while $300,000 would allow them to operate at current levels.
Its request for funding last year was denied by the province, causing a delay in the opening of its consumption site to Oct. 1.
The Okihtcitawak Patrol Group says it can now cover the salary of its paid member to continue its work supporting the community.
OPG patrols the city’s core neighbourhoods, with members scouring the ground for needles and referring people experiencing homelessness and addiction to support services.
The Kinsmen Club said its matching donation is an investment in the community and the organizations they are supporting “are crucial to the fabric of the communities they serve.”
—With files from Kyle Benning and Anna McMillan
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