With the mercury dipping in Saskatoon, many are taking shelter in their own homes or businesses.
But not all of Saskatoon’s residents have that privilege.
That was part of the reasoning behind the decision for the city to create what it calls a “cold weather strategy.”
According to Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) communications manager Nathaniel Boucher, the strategy was implemented nearly a decade ago.
“The cold weather strategy was implemented in 2012 with the underlining goal that no one should have to sleep outside on a cold night,” Boucher said Monday. “Finding shelter is very crucial for our homeless population.”
When members of the vulnerable community access these services, their experiences differ from location to location.
From a warm meal to a place to warm up to more advanced services, there’s a lot that can be accessed within the winter months. SHIP facilitates the way the organizations communicate and collaborate, displaying the resources on a poster, Boucher said.
“Each organization has its own guidelines and restrictions based on the size of the facility, number of staff and number of resources they have. That’s why we have this ongoing communication between organizations so that we can specify on the poster,” he said.
“It essentially acts as an index for all the available warmup locations at that time. The document is a living poster.”
With COVID, things have been complicated in terms of what organizations can offer, along with how many can use those resources.
With social-distancing measures, it has brought up the need for more organizations to stand up and increase capacity across the city for Saskatoon’s most vulnerable.
SHIP said it is always looking for more partners. It currently has nine active warmup locations throughout Saskatoon.
Organizations that are interested in helping out can contact SHIP directly.
For the ‘living poster’ of Saskatoon’s warmup locations, click here.