Saskatoon city council unanimously approved Thursday a proposed temporary emergency shelter for those experiencing homelessness.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) has been pushing for around a month to open the wellness centre and shelter amid cold weather, packed shelters, and a growing number of people experiencing homelessness.
The shelter is on 1st Avenue North between 22nd and 23rd streets with a lease that would carry through to the end of March, with the option to extend until the end of April if necessary.
Brent Penner, executive director of business improvement association Downtown Saskatoon, said the city’s homelessness problem has been growing for years.
Service providers said changes to income support, along with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, have led to more people experiencing homelessness.
“Everyone agrees that something must change but no one with the ability to make change makes it,” Penner said.
“We all need to admit that what has happened on this issue has been a failure. Let us not repeat the failure and have to have this discussion again next year, which will undoubtedly occur if this issue does not find a permanent solution.”
Many local businesses and organizations have offered donations to support the shelter, according to STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand.
“It’s a community initiative, it’s just being led by STC,” he said. He told Global News he plans to open doors on Monday.
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“We have a lot of work to do in the next three to four months to help people but the main thing is they’re going to be out of the cold, and we’re going to try to help as many people as we can.”
The shelter still needs to put up smoke alarms and finish other renovations and necessary checks. It’ll start by housing up to 50 people a night.
They’ll also have wrap-around supports, Arcand said, such as mental health and addictions and elders services.
“It’s a short-term solution, it’s not a long-term outcome,” said Arcand. “We’re going to learn some things here about how we can do things differently for homeless people and get them the help that they need.”
A large number of Saskatoon’s homeless population are Indigenous, according to Arcand. He said having an Indigenous-run shelter means staff will focus on helping people work through trauma.
He said the shelter will not turn people under the influence of drugs or alcohol away, but it’s not permitted inside. The shelter will have some medical staff during the day, but Arcand said they won’t in the evening.
Staff are trained to look for signs of an overdose or other medical conditions, he said, and will call 9-1-1 if they need ambulance or police. Arcand said they aim to have 24-hour security.
Hoits Contracting is donating their construction services and a water heater to help get the shelter ready for Monday.
“These are our neighbours,” said Clinton Poitras.
“We have a far too big homeless population and anything we can do to help.”
During Thursday’s meeting, many councillors echoed similar sentiments of wanting to push the provincial government to put money into shelters or other services to help get people housed.
“We need to step out of our comfort zone to solve the problem of downtown, but we the province to as well,” said Ward 5 city councillor Randy Donauer.
“If they just say, ‘Well this doesn’t fit within this portfolio, or this portfolio, or that portfolio,’ the way we do it, our problem’s never going to get solved.”
The STC said it is using its own funds, along with around $120,000 from the city, to cover the occupancy costs of the building, along with some other expenses.
The STC also has also applied to the federal government for a $1.4-million grant. Arcand said the organization has enough money to run for around six weeks.
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