Saskatoon mayor says Lighthouse not to blame for what happens on its street

It's one of the most troubled blocks in downtown Saskatoon.

The stretch of 20th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues often presents a challenge to people passing through on foot.

The sidewalk in front of the Lighthouse Supported Living building often has people in blankets and sleeping bags, or simply lying on the pavement.

Some are intoxicated, some are aggressive.

Mayor Charlie Clark, police, business people and government officials met at the Lighthouse today. They toured the facility, met with volunteers and saw first-hand the work inside the emergency shelter and affordable-housing provider.

Clark said he knows what's happening on the street in and around the building needs addressing.

But he urged people to make a distinction between the work inside the Lighthouse and what's happening on the street.

"So people who say, well, the Lighthouse is the problem, in a lot of cases, some of the most challenging situations are people who have nowhere to go because of concerns about potential violence or behaviour issues," Clark said.

Clark said Wednesday's meeting is important because it brings together everyone with an interest in the Lighthouse, and the problems perceived around it.

The issue can be addressed by working together, he said.

"Most of the time there's usually about 20 to 25 people in the downtown who are facing some of these really chronic challenging addictions issues. It's a manageable number of people if we can co-ordinate our efforts."

The chair of the Lighthouse board echoed the mayor's comments.

"We can control what's inside our building. We can't control what happens outside the building," said Jerome Hepfner.

"We can influence it, we can do what we can to put patrols and to walk around, but that is also a resourcing issue and impacts budgets."

Hepfner says this is why partnerships in the community are so important.