Sask. government announces $90M to address homelessness, addictions crisis, but experts say it's not enough

The Saskatchewan government made a series of funding announcements Friday, with a combined total of almost $90 million going to combat homelessness, and address mental health and addictions in the province.

Community groups say it is not enough.

The "new provincial approach to homelessness" includes supportive housing spaces, emergency shelter spaces, enhanced community safety and outreach responses, and emergency shelter spaces for people with complex needs.

The province announced $40.2 million in new funding in the next two years to provide following supports across Saskatchewan:

• $7.16 million for 155 new supportive housing spaces.

• $14.1 million for 120 new permanent emergency shelter spaces.

• $19 million for 30 new complex needs emergency shelter spaces and community safety.

Gene Makowsky, Saskatchewan's minister of social services, said the government will develop 155 new supportive housing units in Regina and Saskatoon to provide on-site and visiting support, as well as connection to wrap-around services.

He said some of those spaces will be converted from units owned by the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation.

Makowsky said the new permanent emergency shelter spaces will be in Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and other communities based on need.

"This means there will be approximately 500 permanent emergency shelter spaces available this winter across Saskatchewan," Makowsky said.

"As we move forward, the province will move to a model of smaller emergency shelters to avoid concentration of vulnerable people in one area."

Makowsky said the 15 new emergency shelter spaces for people with complex needs in Regina and Saskatoon will be places where an intoxicated person can stay up to 24 hours. The funding will also implement additional community safety and outreach responses.

"Together, and with community partners, we will work to improve the lives of Saskatchewan people who are struggling with addictions and mental health challenges to support their transition to stable and supportive housing," he said.

$49.4 million for a new action plan for mental health and addictions

The government also announced a new action plan for mental health and addictions intended to create 500 new addictions treatment spaces and a central intake system by 2027-28.

Tim McLeod, the minister of mental health and addictions, seniors and rural and remote health, said it would mean $49.4 million in funding when fully implemented in the fifth year of the plan.

He said the new action plan will have three priorities. 

"[We will be] building capacity so that we can help more people recover and live healthy lives, creating a central intake system and transitioning to a recovery oriented system of care for addictions treatment. Work will begin immediately on concrete near-term actions under the new plan," he said.

McLeod said 200 of the 500 spaces are slated to be completed before the end of this fiscal year. He said the spaces will include detox and pre-treatment, inpatient and outpatient treatment, post-treatment and supportive living spaces.

This plan replaces the previous mental health and addictions action plan that was set to finish in 2024.

No money for safe consumption site

Health Minister Everett Hindley said the province will be working closely with municipal governments.

"We want to make sure that this works for everybody, that this works for the individuals who need that help, but also for the community as well," Hindley said.

The transition to a "recovery-oriented system of care" will help patients who need more than the typical 28 days offered under a traditional addictions treatment model.

But, Hindley said, funding supervised drug consumption is not a part of this plan. 

"We want to help individuals break the cycle of addiction and find the appropriate treatment that they need. So that they can get on the path to recovery. That does not include supervised consumption," he said.

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark said the co-ordinated approach to dealing with mental health, addictions and homelessness is finally coming through.

"Winter is coming, it's getting cold out there. People are very concerned about what is going to happen," Clark said. "We need to do that as quickly as we can so people don't freeze to death out there."

He said he would continue to advocate for changes to Social Income Support (SIS) payments.

When SIS was introduced in 2019, it marked a departure from previous social assistance programs where money was paid directly to landlords and utilities.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said she is hopeful the announcement was a pathway for real positive outcomes for people who are suffering.

"Everyone is struggling with how to deal with the opioid drug crisis, and the psychosis, and the violence and the death that is resulting from it," Masters said.

Not enough to solve homelessness: experts 

While community service providers welcome the new funding, some say it is not enough.

Toby Esterby, the chief operations officer with the Saskatoon Community Clinic, said the province still has a long way to go to provide adequate housing opportunities and that $40.2 million is a drop in the bucket.

He said his biggest concern is that the demand will outstrip supply.

"With these 500 shelter beds throughout the province of Saskatchewan, I can guarantee you in no uncertain terms that there are at least 500 people experiencing chronic homelessness in the city of Saskatoon alone," Esterby said.

"I'd be so bold to estimate that if you were to incorporate everybody that's experiencing homelessness in one way or another in this city, just in the city of Saskatoon, we would be in the numbers of thousands."

Esterby said said many details around locations and times of accessibility for services are yet to be determined.

"No one in this province should ever have to worry about dying in the cold. Even after today's announcements, I'm worried about people that I care about, that I see every day here at Westside Clinic, dying in the cold," he said.

"So, is this money going to be enough? The answer is no."

Kristen Thoms, the executive director of Quint Development Corporation, which operates affordable rental units in the city, echoed that sentiment. She said $40.2 million cannot solve homelessness in Saskatoon, let alone Saskatchewan.

"When you think about a two-year plan with the dollars that they suggest, it's not going to address the acute needs that are happening. It's not going to get people off the street. So, the systems that are creating poverty are still in place," she said.

Thoms said the SIS program is not adequate. She said it remains unclear whether the government would just be creating the 155 new supportive housing spaces, or taking care of the operational costs. 

"There should be a housing and mental health and addiction strategy," Thoms said. "There should be long term investment in these critical issues that lead people into poverty and not just a reactive measure."

'Emergency shelter is not a housing solution': advocate

Colleen Christopherson-Cote, the co-ordinator for the Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership, said she was anticipating this announcement, but was disappointed with the details.

"We're again 20 minutes to winter and trying to build a plan on the fly for a group of people that we know are considerably vulnerable as we come into these months," she said.

"The historic lack of funding from the provincial government, it's not even remotely enough to catch us up to what they haven't been investing in."

She said the 30 new complex needs emergency shelter spaces add to the criminalization of substance use and only work as a band-aid solution. She said the government should have better consulted with community organizations.

Christopherson-Cote said Saskatchewan is one of the only provinces that doesn't match federal dollars for housing and homelessness.

"Looking at all of the details, this plan will create and perpetuate cycles of homelessness and poverty in the city," she said.

"People are in crisis, but emergency shelter is not a housing solution, and so if we don't couple it with a long-term housing continuum and provide people with actual housing solutions, we will continuously see cycles of homelessness in this community."