Prairie Harm Reduction to open warming shelter 24/7

Saskatoon residents in the Pleasant Hill and Riversdale areas will soon have another space where they can get out of the cold.

Starting Dec. 14, Prairie Harm Reduction will run its warm-up centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That will continue until March 31.

Executive director Kayla DeMong said PHR recently received funding from the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), and it has seen increased demand for a place to warm up over the last few weeks.

“It is really challenging and really disheartening to have to close the doors and send people out and know that they are going to be outside all night,” she said.

She said staff are excited and relieved they won’t have to lock the doors to the warming centre for the next several months.

“Our drop-in has become increasingly more popular and busier as the winter has progressed. We’re definitely serving well over 600 cups of coffee a day in that site, and the need is there. So this will allow us to provide a safe space for people to come,” she explained.

Anyone going to the centre will get a warm drink and some food, and there’s no time limit on how long they can stay. Case managers will remain there until midnight, then support workers will take the overnight shifts, focusing on getting people into emergency shelters or cold weather hotel rooms.

The funding only covers the drop-in space. Safe consumption site space hours will continue to be from 10 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.