Thanks to an additional investment of $1.7 million from the Government of Saskatchewan in Nov. 2022, new temporary emergency shelter spaces were created across the province to ensure people in need had a warm place to stay during the winter months.

Since the announcement was made, the Ministry of Social Services has collaborated with community partners to develop 83 new temporary shelter spaces, which will be operational until April 30.

“Our government provided additional funding to emergency shelters to expand capacity during the winter months,” Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said. “Through the hard work and commitment of our community partners, we were able to secure these additional spaces to better support people in need.”

Of the $1.7 million investment, $800,000 was provided to help emergency shelters and wellness centres across Saskatchewan meet seasonal cost pressures and up to $900,000 went towards increasing emergency shelter capacity in Prince Albert, Saskatoon, and Regina.

As part of this, the Prince Albert YWCA received a total investment of $365,000 in 2022-23, increasing from $37,800 compared to last winter, said Louise Michaud, the Assistant Deputy Minister of Disability Programs and Housing with the Ministry of Social Services and President and CEO of Saskatchewan Housing Corporation.

“This significantly increased the number of Ministry of Social Services-funded emergency shelter spaces at the Prince Albert YWCA over last year,” she continued.

The Ministry of Social Services said they continue to collaborate with community partners across Saskatchewan on new approaches to support vulnerable people in the province and connect them to the supports and services they need.