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A new plan of action with the goal of getting people out of tent cities and into warm cots is in the works for the city of bridges.
Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) chief Mark Arcand said homelessness in the city has grown as a result of COVID-19, making the coming cold a bigger challenge than usual for those without a home.
“We’re in a crisis here with winter coming, we’ve seen a lot of homelessness in our city, so we’re hoping by working together we’re going to eliminate most of this,” Arcand said.
In response, the STC leading the Sawêyihtotân outreach team, the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD), and other community organizations including the Salvation Army have partnered to put together a temporary solution with long-term potential for the city’s homeless. The partnership falls under the SFD’s new emergency operations center (EOC) which has the goal of managing life, safety and health issues related to those experiencing homelessness, with the immediate goal of providing necessary shelter to people living outdoors.
On Tuesday, Arcand, along with fire chief Morgan Hackl and assistant chief Yvonne Raymer, shared the plight facing those who don’t have permanent housing in the city and the dangers of tent cities that have been showing up across Saskatoon and in Regina.
Raymer said as the weather turns, the partnership will focus on taking a proactive approach that will work to identify places and camps where people are living in shelters. They plan to designate a task force that will provide support and talk to the people living in these situations to find out what they need. Resources, including emergency options, will be used as necessary.
“We can’t allow for people to be living in the elements as the weather begins to turn colder,” Raymer said.
Arcand added, “They’re not safe at this point, they’re not safe for the health of our people, they’re not fire regulated.
“We do not support large encampments. We’re going to do everything in our power to mitigate this homeless crisis we’re in right now in Saskatoon.”
Arcand and Hackl described living conditions where individuals are tending to open flames in public outdoor areas, sleeping under sidewalks, and using any coverings they can find to keep warm and sheltered from the elements.
“It’s not a good scene for a city,” Arcand said.
The plan for those living in temporary conditions is to bring them for four months of the winter season to a large space, such as a warehouse or gymnasium. While this space hasn’t been determined yet, Arcand said they’re hoping an individual will offer a suitable space for them to use.
The partnership is also going to be seeking a bylaw to allow the housing of 50 to 100 individuals for those four months from Saskatoon’s city council. This issue is expected to be considered at the council’s next meeting.
The space that will house people throughout the winter will also provide food, health and counselling services to those staying. Arcand said staff would be employed to maintain order and ensure rules in the space are followed.
“We want to follow all the rules, we want to follow all the regulations,” Arcand said. “We want to make sure our people, our relatives are safe in whatever facility we have.”
Further than the issue of temporary housing, Arcand believes this plan has potential for long-term impact. It’s more than a shelter, in his view — it’s a wellness strategy.
He envisions an opportunity to help people move into long term, permanent housing, “making sure we transition them into a long-term housing situation whether that be an apartment or a house.”
He said, however, it all depends on the resources available to them. They’re currently seeking donations to help with the project and looking for possible avenues of funding.