‘More work to be done:’ Sawêyihtotân Pilot Project continuing through COVID

Saskatoon’s Sawêyihtotân Pilot Project is now in its third month, looking to lend a helping hand to the city’s vulnerable community.

The project is headed by the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) and has two levels of government backing and assisting operations throughout.

The program includes reporting every 30 days covering who has been moved into long-term and short-term housing, who has been moved to, or off of, income assistance, their access to both mental and addictions services, and supporting the population.

On Wednesday, STC Chief Mark Arcand gave 650 CKOM an update, which included both negative and positive outcomes.

“To be honest and truthful, it’s tough. We have people living under stairs (and) we have people living in bushes, under bridges,” he said.

“We (saw) some negative outcomes of that. When we put people in hotels, they’re actually being evicted because they’re dealing with, No. 1, detox and No. 2, mental health and addictions. They can’t make it to the next level because those aren’t being addressed fully … That’s a barrier that we see, that we’re not really funded for.”

There are situations Arcand said the program wants to focus on. That includes the work on mental health and additions to get those in the vulnerable community to the next level — finding sustainable housing.

“I know we didn’t reach and impact all the people but it’s a trust issue. They’re having a hard time trusting people. So we’re trying to build that relationship and that trust (with) them,” he said.

“People might call it hand-holding or enabling them. They can characterize it how they want but that’s not the case. It’s actually supporting them and their needs in really making sure they get the quality care they need.

“Some of these people may not have had that before. At the end of the day, when people are supporting them in those issues, it goes a long ways and really makes a difference.”

The program was able to work with many, housing at least one person permanently. That, Arcand said, was an elderly lady.

The collaboration is still in its early stages, but he said all levels of government and the interministerial response have been good to date.

With the ongoing COVID situation, there have been some speedbumps along the way. The program was halted after two staff members contracted the virus.

All STC programs will reopen Thursday, including the Sawêyihtotân Pilot Project.

“There is more work to be done. It isn’t an easy hill to climb, but we’re all climbing it together. We’re making sure that we’re going to help as many people as we can,” Arcand said.

The next phase of the project will key on Indigenous culture, along with the loss of that culture. Ceremony will also be included in that phase.

Arcand said elders are continuing at White Buffalo Youth Lodge in the hub model program, talking to those in the community — as long as it’s requested.

He said they want to continue to build that trust, but won’t force those suffering from the systemic issues.

The pilot will continue until March 31, Arcand said, but it needs sustainability to carry through if it is going to work throughout the community.

“We at STC and the Sawêyihtotân Pilot Project aren’t going to be able to solve all these issues inside four, five months,” he explained.

“I’m hoping we can negotiate and work together as a community to keep the program going, but also work on those other areas that need really, quality supports which is mental health and addictions and detox to help people get into a positive track.

“We just can’t have one or two meetings with them. It has to be (sustained) and really helping them deal with their trauma and their issues so they can start living on their own and not become homeless.”

The City of Saskatoon committed $100,000 to the project on Sept. 16, a total that which was matched by the province and split between both the ministries of Social Services and Justice. Including staff resources, Social Services said it will provide more than $117,000 in funding towards the work.

The project was given life following the deployment of teams to the City Centre Inn & Suites closure in July.