Warming centre fights to keep Saskatoon’s homeless safe in freezing cold

The only overnight warming centre currently operating in Saskatoon has become a vital refuge as freezing temperatures grip the city.

With hundreds of people seeking shelter from the cold each day, the space, which is operated by the Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre and staffed entirely by Indigenous workers, is shouldering the responsibility of keeping the city’s homeless population safe and warm.

Michelle King, the executive director, said there is an urgent need for more resources amid the growing crisis, as up to 260 people access the space each night, and lines form at the door before it opens.

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The warming centre, which is part of the city’s winter emergency response plan, is not equipped with beds, but is rather a space for individuals to warm up overnight and have a hot meal.

King explained that the centre was originally scheduled to open on December 2, but with an early snowstorm looming, she mobilized a plan within 24 hours to launch operations ahead of schedule.

For those entering the shelter, a security check is done to ensure no contraband or weapons come inside. The gymnasium is set up for people to sit down and enjoy a warm meal, and the centre also provides donated blankets for visitors, which are in short supply.

“We’re now collapsing cardboard into a nice stack so that when relatives come in, they have a barrier between them and a cold cement floor,” King said.

With limited blankets at the overnights warming centre, staff at the the Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre are collapsing cardboard for visitors to sleep on. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

“Some people find it’s actually overcrowded and they’re sleeping outside.”

But despite opening early, King said the centre may struggle to accommodate everyone as temperatures outside plummet.

“I don’t know what people are going to do with this cold weather that’s coming up,” she said. “I don’t know how anyone actually can survive sleeping outside.”

King said she hasn’t seen fewer than 60 visitors in the shelter since its opening 11 days ago.

“We have had two pregnant women, an elder that had slept outside, 78 years old,” she said “We had a high school student that had to get a ride to school the next day.”

Michelle King, the centre’s executive director, says there is an urgent need for more resources amid the growing crisis, as up to 260 people access the space each night. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

King feels a sense of pride that she and her team have been able to make the warming centre possible on such a short notice, and said she is thankful for the support from the community when it comes to donations.

“The miracles that we have worked are amazing,” she said.

She said volunteers are needed at the shelter, whether it’s sweeping floors, folding clothes, or just showing support for the staff investing their time at the centre.

“Honestly, I can say this is the hardest job in the world,” she said.

“It’s taxing, emotionally, on all of us. I think every single one of us cries several times a day.”

King said she’s seen an increase in homelessness and marginalization within the city as vulnerable people have limited options for support.

She said a step towards a solution starts with getting an individual safe, housed and fed, with access to proper services.

“We’ve had people here that are in wheelchairs and wearing diapers, like adult diapers, that have no one to help them with their home care,” she said.

King called on both the provincial and federal governments to be a part of the solution, and is heading to Ottawa next week to hopefully start those conversations with federal ministers.

“I don’t think I’m gonna stop until I’m part of a solution that’s permanent,” she said.

“I’m like a dog with a bone,” she added. “I will be out there yelling the loudest to bring some kind of change.”

A second overnight warming centre, at St. Mary’s Parish, is set to open on Dec. 9.