Council weighs arguments on addressing homelessness, affordability in Regina budget deliberations

A stressful budget season for Regina city council got even more difficult on Thursday, as dozens of residents pleaded for action on homelessness. 

More than 60 delegations were on the agenda to speak to council as the second day of Regina's budget deliberations got underway. 

Many of them urged council to take action on homelessness in Regina. 

Meadow Wells-Goudie, a fourth-year social work student at the University of Regina and a volunteer with the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry, said she's afraid that someone who is forced to live outside in frigid temperatures could die in the downtown, just blocks away from city hall.

"How do you sleep at night? Because this keeps me up at night," said Wells-Goudie.

Despite the many emotional pleas, it's not clear whether council will actually choose to address the issue of homelessness in the way many are calling for — creating a housing-first model similar to what was outlined in the draft municipal budget. 

A legal effort to include a slightly modified version of that proposal in the budget was defeated earlier this week. 

Some councillors have already indicated that their focus is on affordability for city residents.

That may mean finding cuts to the proposed budget before them. It recommends a 4.6 per cent increase to the mill rate — which determines the tax per dollar of a property's assessed value, expressed in "mills" — for each of the next two years.

That would amount to about $9 per month in additional taxes for the average household each year.

"We have senior citizens worried about being put out of their home because of high taxation," said Ward 2 Coun. Bob Hawkins. 

"We have families that are struggling to put food on the table. That is a primary consideration as I go into the budget deliberation."

'Huge benefits' to addressing homelessness: advocate

While some residents are sympathetic to arguments about affordability, others say the level of support for homelessness initiatives at Thursday's meeting is a clear indication of how important the issue is. 

"There's huge benefits in terms of the amount that are saved in terms of our health-care system, our family support systems, our justice system," said Peter Gilmer, an advocate with the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry.

"So in the long term, we see it as actually a fiscally and financially responsible thing to do, as well as the morally and socially correct thing to do."

Some councillors have indicated that they are still planning to try to get funding for dealing with homelessness in the budget.

Coun. Dan LeBlanc (Ward 6) says he'll move a modified motion on homelessness funding on Friday. 

Coun. Andrew Stevens (Ward 3) says he'll support it, "given the fact if we look at the mill rate increase, the police service is dominating how much we are willing to tax."

"[Affordability is] a concern, yes, but I've heard it on council every year," Stevens said. 

Council is scheduled to finalize the budget on Friday.