Saskatoon patrol group aims to help homeless people
Volunteers with the SAGE Clan Patrol help homeless people around the city
The Saskatoon Sage Clan Patrol, a new dedicated volunteer group, actively patrols the city's streets, distributing toques, mittens, socks, jackets, and food to those who call the streets home.
A member, Memphis Ramsden-Enns, said that their group got the idea from a group in Lethbridge of the same name. They collect and hand out donations, and if needed, connect people to social services.
"When it's colder we do a combination of vehicle and foot patrols. Some people are walking up and down the streets and some people have got their cars packed with donations and they're going to some of the harder-to-get-to spots to try to get to people," she said.
Ramsden-Enns said what they do is basically just a temporary Band-Aid.
"We meet people that are in between situations or who have been denied services and so we are sort of the Band-Aid that keeps them alive until hopefully they can access those services and get to a better place," she said.
She mentioned that people need to be reminded when the winter is milder, homeless people are still freezing.
"For somebody that's stuck on the street and doesn't have anywhere to be or to go, it's not a whole lot nicer out," she said.
Ramsden-Enns also said The Saskatoon Sage Clan Patrol is hoping to expand and be able to help more people as they have been getting a lot of invitations from lots of community organizations.