'People are going to die': Councillor walks Saskatoon's streets at night for insight on homelessness crisis

A city councillor spent a few hours walking the streets of Saskatoon at night last week, hearing from homeless people about what they really need.

Last week, homeless advocate David Fineday challenged councillors to let him show them the reality of the homelessness crisis.

Ward 3 Coun. Robert Pearce took him up on the offer.

"We went out and gave people warm drinks, had conversations and heard some real needs that we still need to address," Pearce said of the experience. "A lot of it centres around the real root causes of homelessness, which is affordability, financial support, relationship issues that seem to cloud people's ability to stay in a proper place."

Fineday and Pearce said they went out at midnight on Monday and saw more than 40 people on the streets over about two hours. They delivered warm beverages and offered rides to warm-up centres at St. Mary's and the Métis Friendship Centre. 

A lack of transportation access

The councillor and advocate both said a shuttle service for these warm-up centres is needed.

"The next thing I knew I had three guys in the back of my car wanting a ride," Pearce said. "One of the things that's highlighting is we need better transportation, we need shuttles running."

Fineday said he wants that night to inspire action and hopes the city can start a hotline for homeless people who are stranded and need support.

Saskatoon city councillor says night walking the streets showed harsh realities

2 days ago

Duration 2:49

Ward 3 Coun. Robert Pearce spent a night on the streets of Saskatoon hearing what supports are needed to tackle the city's homelessness crisis.

The pair spent a lot of time speaking with couples on the street. Fineday said council should address the risks associated with splitting up families by making them go to men- and women-only shelters.

Pearce said the shuttle idea could solve that problem.

"We do have a lot of people that are being separated for the night," Pearce said. "The person [could] walk together to one of the places and know they have a ride to the other and co-ordinate to be back together for the day when they're out."

Will this inspire change?

Fineday said some of the people they encountered got real with Pierce, sharing stories about the complexities that they deal with on a daily basis, and that he hopes it sunk it.

"[One woman] told him her opinion about being on the street, about being a woman," Fineday said. "That's where I'm not sure he had the grasp of what he had heard out there. She started crying, but I don't know if he heard that cry for help."

Pearce said he did hear the cry. With temperatures set to dip as low as -31 C in the coming days, Pearce said he's extremely worried about the city's lack of support for the unhoused.

"There's a very real situation. People are going to die," Pearce said. "We keep talking about delays with budget and needing to do things quicker and better because people die regardless."

Fineday said he hopes Pearce will be motivated to advocate for some of the same things Fineday has been.

"I hope he felt the feelings of those people, their hearts, what they were talking [about]," Fineday said. "I hope he can put that all in the right context and explain that to city hall."

Pearce said he would be happy to go out with Fineday again.

In the meantime, Fineday said he will continue his quest to get teepees set up around the city to act as culturally appropriate warm-up spaces.