Advocates call for targeted solutions to address homelessness in Saskatoon

As homelessness continues to be an issue in Saskatoon, advocates say action is needed more than words.

Shirley Isbister, president at Central Urban Métis Federation Inc., says a complex web of factors contributes to the issue, including addiction, mental health challenges and the ongoing effects of the residential school system.

"There's all of these things that come together to cause the homelessness that we're facing," she said.

She stressed the need for a personalized approach to deal with the issues, pointing out that while some affordable housing is available in the city, the absence of essential supports creates a significant barrier in providing care for people.

Isbister called for specialized housing for individuals with addictions and those with mental health challenges and emphasized the importance of outreach teams to provide ongoing assistance once people are housed.

She also talked about the role of colonialism and intergenerational trauma in the crisis. 

According to a snapshot of homelessness in Saskatoon on one day in April 2022, 90 per cent of those who are homeless in the city are Indigenous, and 53 per cent experienced residential school and/or intergenerational trauma.

"In my family, my mother-in-law and her siblings were in residential school, so my husband is a descendant; our children are descendants and our grandchildren are descendants," she said. "That's a lot of people within one family that you're trying to work through trauma."

Isbister said that changes to Saskatchewan's social assistance program are a major setback to people trying to get out of homelessness. 

The Saskatchewan Income Support program was framed as making people more self-sufficient but advocates say it's left many people scrambling for help. 

Rather than having rent cheques paid directly to their landlords, the new program gives people a monthly cheque to pay their utilities, food and rent bills.

Joanne Denis, a social worker at Possibilities Recovery Centre, says rental housing in Saskatoon costs too much for people on social assistance. She's calling for affordable and safe housing, along with essential supports and programs. 

"It certainly implies that the people who are struggling with a poor socioeconomic status are not valued in the same light that other people are valued in," Denis said. "It's shocking and it's saddening for myself as a social worker." 

Denis also wants to see better transit services that would allow people to get to the places they need to access services like medical appointments and treatment programs. 

She stressed the importance of mental health programs being readily available for people who are struggling by minimizing wait times and ensuring immediate access to services.