Brody Langager, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Saskatoon’s Homelessness Action Plan (SHAP) offers the city a chance to reassess its role in addressing homelessness, according to a committee report that will be discussed Wednesday.
“The goal is for the city to define a clear set of roles and actions it will operate, which will contribute to ongoing efforts within the community,” the governance and priorities committee report stated.
The report includes initiatives the city is currently leading, like finding land and reducing municipal barriers for affordable housing, revamping and distributing educational materials, and conducting a feasibility study for a community navigation centre, described as a hub for health and addictions services that could also have things like washrooms and laundry access.
Two drop-in centres were established in Saskatoon in June, connecting people to emergency shelters and housing, as well as recovery and mental health programs.
NEW, PROPOSED CITY ACTIONS
Actions that would be new to the city’s role around homelessness were listed in the report, stemming from current pressures seen in Saskatoon.
A point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness last fall identified 1,499 living without permanent shelter in the city — almost three times the number found two years ago. According to the full report released in May, 315 of those were children, a dramatic increase from the 26 recorded in the 2022 count.
One new action would see the city pursue collaborative funding partnerships to help both capital and operational funding.
A community land trust could also be established to acquire and steward land in Saskatoon. This would involve a non-profit organization that could hold land for things like affordable housing, civic buildings or community spaces.
Incentives for vacant and boarded-up properties, as well as conversions and repairs of affordable housing units, were also listed.
The report said the city would create and encourage partnerships with the private sector to find more funding for housing and homelessness projects.Many of the new actions align with other initiatives like the Housing Accelerator Fund, the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampment Initiative, and what is being proposed in the upcoming Affordable Housing Strategy.
“The SHAP has been drafted with awareness that many other initiatives are occurring in Saskatoon, including a variety of actions that the city is already leading or co-leading,” the report noted.
SHORT AND LONG-TERM INITIATIVES
A list of complementary homelessness initiatives highlighted some of the short and long-term plans to address housing and addictions.
Short-term initiatives include the daytime drop-in centre, the washroom trailer, winter warming centres, and the point-in-time homelessness count.
The report lists medium-term initiatives as the affordable housing strategy and housing needs assessment — which will be considered in the fall — the city-owned land disposition/acquisition strategy, and data collection and analysis to create an online dashboard.
In the long-term, plans include the navigation hub, continued support for affordable housing projects, finding gaps in the housing and social services environment, and creating a new community well-being strategy.
The report said the strategy would include proactive efforts around education, employment, and other areas that weren’t listed.
Central Urban Métis Federation president, Shirley Isbister, recently highlighted some gaps, saying the city has a capacity problem and needs to find a way to separate people based on their needs.
Isbister said some people are actively looking to improve their lives while others aren’t ready, and resources should be distributed based on that.
Even if every organization addressing mental health and homelessness in Saskatoon came together, they still wouldn’t have the capacity to help everyone, she noted.
