New shelter for unhoused set to open in Saskatoon the same day 2 warming centres close

Saskatoon's newest shelter for the unhoused will open on Tuesday.

The downtown shelter, located adjacent to the former Saskatoon Transportation Company bus station on Pacific Avenue, will be run by The Mustard Seed, the Alberta-based non-profit group.

"We are working to provide [the unhoused] with a safe and supportive space for folks to come in and work with them on getting housed," said Samantha Lowe, senior director of shelter operations with The Mustard Seed.

The shelter will include 30 to 40 beds, food, case management, and provide connections to other services.

"We respect the fact that everybody is in a different stage of being unhoused," Lowe said. "But at the same time our goal overall is to get everybody who comes in through our doors housed."

The opening comes as two temporary warming shelters run by The Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre and Salvation Army are closing on Tuesday. They served more than 100 people on a nightly basis.

Salvation Army executive director Gordon Taylor says the number of people using their shelter has been trending down.

"Last night we had 66 guests staying at the warming centre, but we've been as high as 100 throughout the winter," Taylor said on Monday, adding many of the people using the warming centres will have difficulty staying at the new shelter.

"A certain number of people who just for a variety of reasons — usually some combination of addictions, mental health issues — aren't ready for that case management model," he said. 

Bed must be reserved

People coming to the new shelter will have to reserve their bed for the next night or it will be given to someone else.  That's because they are trying to build support and trust with people so they can help them transition to permanent housing, Lowe says.

"Working with somebody takes time and it takes connection," Lowe said. "So if an individual comes in, they stay overnight and they want to stay again, they have to reserve their space for that night. Otherwise, we'll give it up to the community that comes.

"We want to make sure that we're working with them in a longer-term fashion."

Lowe says they are working with the city, fire department and police, and it is her understanding that there will be extra security around the shelter.

All this comes as the city grapples with an overdose crisis that has seen the Saskatoon Fire Department respond to more than 700 overdoses so far this year.

The unhoused and overdose crises are cited as reason for the temporary closure of the downtown and Dr. Freda Ahenakew library branches.

According to the City of Saskatoon's most recent point-in-time count last October, 1,499 people were unhoused.

Mayor Cynthia Block says the new shelter is a step in the right direction, but worries those who have used the warming centres will have no place to go.

"The city is working urgently with the province on a plan to fill those gaps." Block said. "We need to make sure that people have a safe place to be, regardless of the time of year or the hour of the day."

Taylor would like to see a basic year-round shelter for those not ready to move into the new shelter.

"I think a year-round basic shelter would operate a little differently than the overnight warming centres," he said. "The hours would probably be longer, and you could have people on site to give more direction, more options about what you can do next."

Taylor says there will be some difficult choices for many people in the months ahead.

He's praying for good weather in April "because we could still be hit with a winter storm and there isn't a Plan B at the moment."