Saskatoon city council approves $200,000 for winter warming shelters

At their first regular meeting since the civic election earlier this month, Saskatoon’s city councillors unanimously approved $200,000 to help fund three warming shelters in the city this winter.

The money will come from the city’s reserve for capital expenditures, which currently has about $744,000 in it.

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During a presentation to council, Leslie Anderson, the city’s planning director, said St. Mary’s had an average of 122 people in its warming shelter each night last year. During extremely cold nights, that number rose to 230.

“With continued increases in the number of people experiencing homelessness in our community, community partners in our community have been working together, and have identified the need for additional facilities and outreach support for this winter,” said Anderson.

The cost to run the overnight warming shelters will add up to about $1.2 million, with the lion’s share of the money coming from both the provincial and federal governments, as well as non-profit organizations, and private donors.

Pamela Goulden-McLeod, Saskatoon’s emergency management director, said about $630,000 has been budgeted for the Indian and Métis Friendship centre, while $356,000 will go to the Salvation Army to run the St. Mary’s men’s overnight warming station, and just over $100,000 will be provided to Sawēyihtotān for overnight outreach services.

“In addition to staffing at each location, that would also include an emergency medical responder. Last winter was identified because of the level of risk in those locations that an emergency medical responder was required when they’re opened,” she noted.

Goulden-McLeod said the budget also includes food that would be needed at each location, including soup meals and breakfast in the mornings at the Friendship Centre and breakfast at St. Mary’s, along with any cleaning services and facility repairs that are needed.

The Salvation Army’s Gordon Taylor said each year brings a “scramble” when winter hits to find appropriate warming and overnight locations.

“The need this winter is much greater than the previous winter. So this plan where we have two locations overnight – one for men and one for women – is much better, just numbers-wise,” he said.

“But we also got a lot of feedback last year that there were some women who didn’t come to the St. Mary’s site because there were men there, so the need for the two locations is great in several ways.”

Starting on Sunday, St. Mary’s men’s shelter is will be open from 11 p.m. until 8 a.m. each day, the Indian and Métis Friendship Centre will operate its evening warming location from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., while the women’s warming location – also at the Friendship Centre – will operate from 11 p.m. until 9 a.m.