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The Lighthouse in Downtown Saskatoon has been a fixture for years and for many, it isn’t a positive one.
The building is one of the most historic in Saskatoon, but what many see when they drive down 20th Street East or 2nd Avenue South is people in need of help.
That’s exactly what the Lighthouse Supported Living does, is help the people who need it the most.
Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark said Wednesday morning before a tour of the building, that the city does see the need for a resource like the Lighthouse.
“We have a system that’s broken, we have a system that has too many cracks in it, and people falling through it. The city can be a convener, and that’s exactly what’s happening today,” Clark said.
“The reality of those issues, it plays out on our streets, in our neighbourhoods and in our community.”
What many citizens or visitors of the city don’t see when they look at the Lighthouse, is what’s going on inside.
The number of programs and readily available facilities in the structure helps those who are struggling, whether it be from mental illness, addictions, disabilities, or some who are just down on their luck with nowhere else to go.
On the tour Wednesday morning, it was a chance for those to see exactly what goes on, and the people around the centre.
One of the Lighthouse's unique rooms. (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)
Resources in the Lighthouse to keep clients busy during stays. (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)
Mural inside the Lighthouse (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)
A common area for clients at the Lighthouse. (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)
One of the many facilities in the Lighthouse deals with clients singular needs. (650 CKOM)
A detox room in the Lighthouse's first floor. (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)
Detox, the Outreach, and the ‘Lightkeepers’.
The detox area includes a place to sleep, a place to be fed safe meals, and receive help from professional workers.
The Lighthouse Outreach also benefits the city, as outreach workers are able to go out, and help people in need throughout the city.
Micaiah Wiens is one of the outreach workers, and she says most nights they get around 15 to 20 calls to pick up someone in need, or a group of people.
They also respond to calls from the Saskatoon Police Service and emergency crews, to help take the load off their plate on the busier nights.
When they do respond, she said they usually have good luck.
“I would say almost every time, we are called to pick someone up, we have had success. Very rarely do we have someone who refuses to stay at a shelter, or we aren’t able to find somewhere for them to go.”
From the outreach, there is the activities room, where Erich Hephner is the volunteer and programs coordinator.
He said he oversees the programming, and lately they’ve been focusing on leather-working, creating and selling the items for the clients.
“(It provides) a daily purpose, and programming for the clients to come in and tinker around and do on (the) daily. Also, being able to give back, and serve our fellow clients at the Lighthouse.”
He said they call themselves the ‘Lightkeepers,’ as they look to take care of the Lighthouse.
For workers at the Supported Living facility, relationships continuously grow, especially when clients become regular and understand the Lighthouse is a safe place to be.
Hephner was able to sum up the clients understanding of the centre in a simple way.
“For a lot of them, this is home. They know where home is, they know where it’s safe,” he said.
Moving forward, inside and outside of the Lighthouse
One program some may not know that comes from the Lighthouse is affordable housing.
Just under seven years ago, they launched a new program focusing on getting some of their clients into affordable housing.
They said on average, clients usually are looking at $800 per month to get started out.
Even after clients move out, there are options to get workers to come check in, or be on call in case of a crisis.
The resource is critical to not only get clients out and on their feet, but keep them on their feet and moving towards a more positive life.
As you continue to move up the Lighthouse, the rooms for the more complex clients and their cases are found.
Whitney Fraser is the client services manager, and she said they work with the health region to cover the gap between homelessness and mental health concerns.
Fraser said their role is also very complex, as there are a lot of moving parts within having to deal with their clientele.
“A lot of the individuals that we do support who struggle have trauma, have experienced poverty.. and they don’t know anything else.
“We have to be aware of (vulnerabilities), but that’s just part of helping people. We can’t be in control of what people are going to do all the time… our role is to support people, to house people, to try and help them to be healthy.”
More specialized programs can also be found at the Lighthouse, regarding the longer-term needs of clients.
They have Indigenous wellness, where they assist in helping Indigenous clients find their culture, and work towards being healthy, and work on treatment.
The resources found in the Lighthouse are a lot more than meets the eye when you pass the building.
There are people trying to better themselves, and work towards being healthy, have a safe meal, and create a more positive outlook regardless of where they came from, or the issues they had in the past.