Saskatoon Tribal Council planning emergency shelter to deal with homelessness crisis

Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand says he doesn't want to see tent cities in Saskatoon this winter.

On Tuesday, Arcand told media the STC is in the process of finding a location that would house at least 50 people in a temporary shelter, possibly in a large building like a warehouse or a gymnasium.

"I know people are going to say, 'Well, why a warehouse?'" he said.

"Well, it's better than a tent city. Let's be honest."

Saskatoon is dealing with a large number of homeless people right now. While numbers are difficult to obtain, the Saskatoon Fire Department believes about 100 people are street homeless in Saskatoon right now, often living in tents along the city's riverbank and other locations.

In Regina, a tent encampment named Camp Marjorie spring up in a park, although officials at Regina Treaty/Status Indian Service are working to get people housed inside.

The Saskatoon Fire Department said that people living in tents, especially over the winter, can create a very dangerous situation. Recently, a fire started by someone living outside got out of control and burned down a garage.

Arcand said the STC facility would be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and would provide a warm place to stay, along with mental health and addictions supports.

"We really want to make sure that this is a temporary but top notch program that really supports the needs of the individuals that are homeless," he said.

"It's not just open the doors and let people run wild. We're going to have some structure to it and we're going to make sure that it's safe for everybody."

Meanwhile, the Saskatoon Fire Department has brought in an emergency operations centre to deal with people who are homeless, trying to get them into emergency shelter.

The fire department has partnered with the Sawêyihtotân community outreach team as well as the Saskatoon Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP), the Salvation Army and Saskatoon Police Service.

The group plans on identifying where people have set up camps and offer them help.

"This is about working together as a whole community to support people in accessing emergency shelters," said assistant fire chief Yvonne Raymer. 

Chief Arcand said there were several reasons why the province seems to be seeing more homeless people this year -- from COVID-19 to mental health supports.

While many advocates have said that changes to the Saskatchewan Income Support program have led to increased homelessness, Arcand said he was focusing on getting as many people housed as possible.

"If I wait for a policy or procedure to be changed, we might be waiting longer to get people into a healthy situation, which is unacceptable," he said.

"It's our people that are on the street and we've got to do something as an organization."

Arcand said he is looking for someone to donate space for the project, but will pay to rent a building if necessary.

He said the tribal council will work with the fire department and the city to make sure the building is safe. He's also talking with the city to make sure the proper zoning is in place.

Arcand said he would like to have the facility up and running by Dec. 1.