New permanent emergency shelters announced for Regina, Saskatoon
City of Regina, Saskatchewan gov’t also announced money for warming centre on Monday
New permanent emergency shelters are set to be established in each of Saskatchewan's two largest cities as temperatures plummet in the province.
The Saskatchewan government announced Tuesday that YWCA Regina will host a permanent emergency shelter in Regina while The Mustard Seed, a Christian non-profit organization, will manage a shelter in Saskatoon. The locations of the two new shelters have not yet been determined.
YWCA Regina already operates a 40-bed emergency shelter called My Aunt's Place in Regina for women and children. YWCA Regina CEO Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen said that shelter is full and "we turn away more women than we're able to serve."
The new shelter will manage 20 beds with a focus on women with active addictions and who have had longer-term issues with homelessness.
The two shelters target people with unique needs, Coomber-Bendtsen said.
"There's a difference between women who are in active addiction, who are houseless, as opposed to women who are maybe needing just temporary shelter space, but that we can rehouse them quickly," she said.
30-bed shelter to open in Saskatoon
The Mustard Seed-run shelter in Saskatoon will be the charity's first location in Saskatchewan. It already operates a dozen shelters in Alberta and British Columbia.
The City of Saskatoon is still working on a location for the shelter, according to The Mustard Seed's incoming CEO James Gardiner. The organization is contracted to offer food and shelter when it does open.
Gardiner said the Mustard Seed is also working on financial resources and connections to help people attending the shelter find work and housing.
Gardiner said the 30-bed shelter will accommodate people who are homeless and have addiction issues, given they are respectful of the space and other tenants. He said the goal is to have three people staffing it 24 hours a day.
Given the cold snap in Saskatchewan, Gardiner said the shelter is crucial.
"Folks that are sleeping rough are human beings," Gardiner said.
"When it's –35 outside and you're sleeping rough, that's an unbelievably high-risk situation. People literally lose their lives in that scenario."
Temperatures in Saskatchewan are dropping rapidly.
On New Years Day in Saskatoon, temperatures rose to a high of 2 C. This coming Friday, nearly two weeks later, the forecasted high is -26 C.
There is a growing number of people in Saskatoon who are living without a home for more than six months, according to Carm Michalenko, CEO of the Saskatoon Community Foundation.
The Saskatoon Community Foundation encourages and helps direct donations to local charities.
Saskatoon and the wider nation are in a catch up situation, Michalenko said. With limited services and places to go, she said people without homes are walking the streets.
"So yes, it's good that there's some shelters that are going to be provided in the near term. But really, shelters is not housing," she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Aishwarya Dudha