Saskatoon Fire Department report highlights homeless encampments and costs

Saskatoon city council could be sending a letter to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Social Services to reduce barriers for homeless people seeking housing and supports.

Wednesday’s city council meeting will be looking over a report from the fire department’s community risk reduction team, which says Saskatoon Fire Department fire inspectors started documenting inadequate and outdoor living conditions in November 2021.

The report said that in 2021 there were 116 encampments across 27 neighbourhoods in the city. There were 43 inadequately housed people, with six known repeat interactions and 650 fire and bylaw inspector response hours.

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In 2022, there were 512 encampments found in the city across 53 neighbourhoods. Fire inspectors counted 221 inadequately housed people with 39 known repeat interactions and 3,900 response hours.

The report for 2023 up to June 25 had 290 encampments found by fire inspectors across 44 neighbourhoods. They counted 85 inadequately housed people with 22 known repeat interactions and 1,950 response hours used so far.

The neighbourhoods with the highest amount of incidents were:

• Pleasant Hill
• Mayfair
• Riversdale
• Caswell Hill
• Meadowgreen
• Massey Place
• King George

But the report noted that since November 2021, 40 per cent of people known to the fire department have taken supports and have been successfully rehoused.

It said there’s been a notable increase in inadequately housed people who were new to fire inspectors in 2023.

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A breakdown of the costs associated with community risk reduction was brought forth from a request from Coun. Darren Hill and took into account fire inspector wages, administration costs, radios, cellphones, vehicle, fuel and uniform costs, as well as encampment cleanup costs.

For November and December of 2021, a total cost of $29,709.67 was tallied, with no record of encampment cleanup costs.

In 2022, there was a total cost of $178,257.92 for associated costs and $81,297.84 for encampment cleanup.

In 2023 up until Aug. 1 there was $103,983.83 tallied so far for associated costs and $48,781.10 for encampment cleanup.

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The report also tracked encampment fires, listing three in November and December of 2021, a total of 12 in 2022 and 14 tallied so far in 2023 up until Aug. 1.

A recommendation from the committee on environment, utilities and corporate services will be discussed, asking for a letter to be sent to the Ministry of Social Services outlining barriers like obtaining ID, transportation and access to social workers that are being faced in getting unhoused people connected to housing.

“That this letter include a request for the Ministry of Social Services to reduce these barriers and work with Saskatoon Fire Department and community service providers to have Ministry of Social Service staff work more proactively to successfully connect people to housing and supports,” reads the recommendation.