Number of homeless people counted in Saskatoon nearly triples

The latest count of homeless people in Saskatoon shows a significant increase over the last one, done two years ago.

The point-in-time count, conducted by volunteers on Oct. 8, identified 1,499 people experiencing homelessness that day. That's nearly three times higher than the 2022 count, which identified 550.

"The results of this count represent the minimum number of individuals experiencing unsheltered and sheltered homelessness in Saskatoon," Lesley Anderson, director of planning and development for the City of Saskatoon, said in a news release.

The count was conducted by the city in partnership with the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership, the Reaching Home Community Entity in Saskatoon and the Community-University Institute for Social Research at the University of Saskatchewan — plus more than 200 volunteers.

More data from the count will be released in the new year in the Saskatoon PiT Community Report. The last report from 2022, for example, showed that 83 per cent of those counted that year identified as Indigenous and 49 per cent said they experience chronic homelessness.

The homelessness count highlights the immense need for a "solid investment" in housing, said Katelyn Roberts, executive director of Sanctum Care Group in Saskatoon.

"There's no access to services and supports to recover from trauma, or to even have your basic necessities met, and that's obviously reflected in our homelessness count here today," she told CBC Radio Blue Sky host Leisha Grebinski.

"It sounds cheesy, but how we treat our most vulnerable is a reflection of who we are as a society and I think Saskatchewan is failing deeply."

WATCH | This homeless woman is spending her first winter on the streets in Saskatoon: 

This homeless woman is spending her first winter on the streets in Saskatoon

9 days ago

Duration 2:24

Samantha Weeseekase says high rent and addiction drove her to homelessness in Saskatoon. She finds warmth at city shelters at night, and uses candles and public facilities to stay safe during the day.

Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block said many municipalities are struggling with homelessness and called for help from the provincial and federal governments.

"[The count is] shocking one way, but also not surprising. Anybody who has been living in our city for the last few years has been able to see how much the situation on the ground has changed and the frustration of realizing that people need help and we don't have all the tools to solve it,"  Block told reporters after a city council meeting Thursday afternoon.

"We can't do it alone."

Samantha Weeseekase is homeless in Saskatoon. She said she had been couch surfing for a while, but that wasn't possible anymore, so she's leaning on shelters in the city.

"If you aren't dressed up warm enough you'll freeze.… At night time I stay at the Friendship Centre," Weeseekase said.

"Throughout the day I'm basically outside. I go to the library to warm up."

Weeseekase said this is her first winter on the street.

"I recently became homeless," she said. "Bills were too high and I couldn't afford it, and I'm also an addict."

She said she wants to get help, but it's difficult to ask. She also said there aren't enough supports available for homeless people.