No reason for homeless in Sask. to freeze this winter despite COVID-19 rules, says Salvation Army

Saskatchewan's Salvation Army commander wants people who are experiencing homelessness, or are close to it, to know that they do not have to live in the winter cold despite COVID-19 regulations at shelters.

COVID-19 regulations are putting limits on how many people are allowed inside various facilities. Homeless shelters are not excluded from those regulations, meaning some vulnerable people could be left out in the cold.

"Most of the guys are handling the regulations quite well. They're complying with the regulations that we're asking them to do and things that the shelter seems to be going fairly smoothly at this point," said major Mike Hoeft, Salvation Army area commander for Saskatchewan.

"What the winter brings is another question. Because of the cold weather, our anticipation is there is going to be a higher demand on our services."

Physical distance between beds and gathering limit restrictions mean shelters are running at reduced capacity, said Hoeft, but a cold weather strategy is being developed for various homelessness agencies, with help from the province's department of socials services.

Solutions to shelter capacity are detailed in the plan. Once shelters reach capacity, social services is to take over and set people up in hotels or elsewhere, said Hoeft.

"We don't have the option of simply overcrowding or putting people into other spaces," he said.

"We will make sure that we work with people who present as needing a place to stay, and our caseworkers will have conversations with them, try to find a good place for them."

Hoeft noted that the Salvation Army will work with people experiencing homelessness to find permanent housing, but said the cold weather strategy will ensure people showing up to the shelter on any given day have a place to stay.

"There really shouldn't be anybody that sleeps out in the cold this winter because there is a plan in place," he said.

Aside from finding overnight arrangements, Hoeft is concerned about where people can go to warm up during the day.

In winters before COVID-19, the Salvation Army had set a room aside for people to stay in from the cold, Hoeft said, but that will be difficult this year due to public health rules.

There are other facilities such as malls and libraries that, if they stay open, could accommodate for that, he said.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority will also be helping agencies in terms of setting up facilities and helping staff interact with people in need, while still following public health rules, CEO Scott Livingstone said during a news conference Friday.

There is a cold weather strategy meeting on Tuesday where more parts of the plan will be discussed, Hoeft said.

Hidden homelessness complicates issue

In other parts of the province, helping people experiencing homelessness may be more difficult because homelessness is less overt.

There are no homeless shelters in Yorkton, Sask. Instead of tents, homelessness comes in the form of couch-surfing, or sleeping in cars or lobbies, said Melinda Davis, executive director of SIGN Housing Support Program.

"With [people experiencing homelessness] being hidden, it's not that there's that much awareness that there are people out there that do not have a place to call home." said Davis.

Much of the homelessness in Yorkton, a city about 175 kilometres northeast of Regina, revolves around financial troubles, and many people experiencing homelessness will rely on the people they know for help until they get back on their feet, Davis said.

This often makes it difficult, because there is no housing for people in need, she said. Often SIGN will have to reach out to social services for money so they can put someone in a motel.

The situation could lead to overcrowded homes, which are an issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

The housing support program is developing a plan for the winter so that people with nowhere else to go can be in a motel for a month while the organization helps them find permanent housing, Davis said.

Generally, there is no serious spike in demand for SIGN's services at any point in the year, Davis said, but there is a concern this year that more people may need help because the pandemic has impacted their job and income.

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