New report on possible Saskatoon shelter locations expected in coming weeks

Saskatoon’s administration says it’s “scouring the city” looking for a variety of suitable locations for a possible new homeless shelter.

Speaking with 650 CKOM Morning Show host Shack, Mayor Charlie Clark said the city has a goal.

“(We want) to bring forward all of the possible sites that they can but also that the province sees as viable,” he said.

Clark said the province has to also agree that the site is suitable for an emergency shelter. He hopes a report can be presented sometime in April or May. It’s not clear if any community consultations will take place.

In late February, city council unanimously agreed that a shelter would have to be at least 250 metres from any elementary school, and 500 metres from another shelter location.

That came after pushback from residents in the Sutherland neighbourhood, where a former fire hall was identified as a possible shelter location — but it’s less than 100 metres from the Bishop Filevich Bilingual Ukrainian School.

Clark said he hoped to have shelters open sooner rather than later.

“I’m very, very concerned,” he said. “And getting some of these facilities up and running — I’m very concerned that with warm weather we’re going to see the homelessness that is in our city really become much more present in our streets.”

Clark said he’s also worried about encampments and ongoing stress for those who are homeless and for residents in the neighbourhoods where the encampments are present.

He said more and better facilities need to be in place to meet everyone’s needs.