Expansion plans in the works for new Saskatoon Emergency Wellness Centre

Saskatoon’s new Emergency Wellness Centre has been open for less than a week, and staff are already working on extensive expansion plans.

The downtown wellness centre — formerly located at 145 1st Ave. N — permanently closed its doors on Saturday, according to the Saskatoon Tribal Council, which operated the facility.

Tribal Chief Mark Arcand said adequate funding was not provided for the downtown location.

During a media tour on Friday, Arcand said plans were already underway for extensive renovations to the new Fairhaven neighbourhood building and property in 2023, if the STC could get its funding applications approved.

“In our Phase 2 project, we’re going to put in our commercial kitchen so we can feed people, and have cooks here and everything else … Hopefully we can start all of those processes in September,” he said.

Arcand also hoped to add up to a dozen showers, more laundry facilities and additional washrooms. There are also plans to put tents outside of the building next summer.

“Our plan is to put up 10 teepees and put cots in there. And then let’s say if it gets to fall, we’ll have those outdoor heaters so people can actually sleep out there. So they’re not sleeping in bushes or under the bridge or anything like that,” he said.

Arcand said security will be outside during both summer and winter to keep an eye on what’s happening on the property. There’s also an on- site paramedic.

“Instead of having them sleep in the park, they can come and sleep inside the teepee. That’s the goal,” he added.

Another goal is to add an extension onto the building for more programming. Arcand said applications for some of that work is ongoing. He hopes to have it approved in the spring or summer of 2023.

“We’ve just put in our … application here, working on that to actually get everything in place,” he said.

In the meantime, outreach workers will be driving around Saskatoon looking for anyone who might need a place to warm up or a place to stay for the night. If they don’t want to go to the west Saskatoon wellness centre, efforts will be made to find them a hotel room or another overnight shelter.