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Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand said on Friday that he doesn’t want the city to wait to address homelessness, he wants something done now.
The 2024 Point-in-Time Count showed that close to 1,500 people are homeless in Saskatoon, which is almost triple the 2022 count of 550.
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The City of Saskatoon also agreed this week to move forward with an encampment response plan, which is a six-phase project that will help address homeless and encampment concerns by creating more permanent spaces.
The project will take two years to complete.
“We went from 550 (people) two years ago to 1500 people, that is a serious increase of people,” Arcand said.
“We need an immediate response to fill that gap so it doesn’t increase to 2,000 people by the time phase six gets completed.”
He said he’s disappointed the city didn’t get a commitment from the province in regards to homelessness.
“We’re in crisis,” said Arcand. “Because nobody right now is contributing to the crisis we’re in — of 1500 people on the street.”
The 18-month temporary shelter along Pacific Ave. in Saskatoon’s downtown is now slated to open in March 2025, the city announced after Thursday’s council meeting.
Arcand estimated between the STC’s Emergency Wellness Centre in Fairhaven, the Salvation Army, and the two warming stations there are only 500 beds available in Saskatoon.
“Where are the other 1,000 people going?” he asked. “This is a serious situation.”
Arcand also wants to work with the city to find more locaions for 24-hour shelters.
“I disagree with shelters that are only there for 12 hours and then you gotta kick people out,” said Arcand.
“It’s still cold outside, if they don’t have proper footwear (or) proper clothing we’re setting them up for failure.”
Any instant relief would have to come from city council, Arcand said, adding that it is doable.
“We need to have the city say ‘we need to find some facilities’,” he said.
“It may not be perfect, it may be a place where people can gather so we can provide services.”
Arcand said STC worked with Station 20 West, which is a community centre in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood, and over the three nights they operated in the building saw over 100 people looking for shelter.
— with files from CKOM News
Read more:
- St. Mary’s warming shelter in Saskatoon opens a week earlier than expected
- Saskatoon city council approves $200,000 for winter warming shelters
- $1.2M needed for warming centers, winter navigation in Saskatoon
