Saskatoon council vote shows complexity of shelter placements, researcher says

A recent vote by Saskatoon city council that further limits where shelters can be placed highlights how complex it is for cities to establish those facilities.

Council approved a motion last week that emergency shelters must be at least 250 metres away from elementary schools, which effectively shut down plans for a proposed shelter in the Sutherland neighbourhood. 

The vote came after residents expressed concerns about the shelter's proximity to a nearby school, a potential increase in crime and more discarded needles in the neighborhood's parks. 

Ana Karinna Hidalgo, a lecturer in the department of geography and planning at the University of Saskatchewan, said while people might not want schools to be close to shelters, the problem is — what is left? 

Hidalgo said she examined the city map and found there is almost no space left for shelters after you take into account the new buffer zone of 250 metres around schools.

"These people also have the right to the city — the right to enjoy the city, the right to public spaces, the right to parks, the right to a washroom — so we can't keep closing on them. We all have the right to the city, but especially those that are more vulnerable," she said. 

Hidalgo said that, historically, some people start seeing those struggling with addictions or homelessness as a problem.

She said the vicious cycle continues because communities can shun homeless people, who then feel excluded and may turn to drugs or alcohol to cope. 

Maj. Gordon Taylor is the executive director at the Salvation Army in Saskatoon, which runs a 24-hour emergency shelter for men and provides food services and transitional programs. 

He said the organization also runs an overnight warming shelter that sees around 120 to 130 people every night. 

"It's always going to be challenge to find where is the right place. But again, unfortunately, we're in a situation in Saskatoon where we do need shelters," he said.

Taylor said a lot of considerations go into running a shelter, including the design and operations, but the main thing right now in Saskatoon is a shelter's location, because until that is solved, the city can't move forward. 

The Mustard Seed, a Calgary-based Christian non-profit, had been given the contract to run the shelter in Sutherland. CEO James Gardiner said council's vote last week doesn't change his organization's resolve to support the unhoused in Saskatoon.

Wherever the new shelter ends up, it will be operated by The Mustard Seed. Gardiner said his group has been through this process before and there are a lot of stakeholders the city has to take into account.

He said that two of his staff members knocked on 120 doors in the Sutherland neighbourhood and heard residents' concerns and feedback.  

"It's fair to say the majority had concerns for sure, but a lot of those concerns … they were just, 'OK tell us what your approach is like.' " he said. 

In a statement, the provincial government said it respects community feedback.