Brody Langager
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
A Saskatoon non-profit that operates a warm-up bus to help vulnerable people survive cold winter nights hopes to expand its services.
Church in the Hood Ministries has been active in the city and doing outreach since 2014. Founder Ralph “Biz Nico” Nicotine said the bus has been running for three years.
Nicotine, a hip-hop artist from Red Pheasant First Nation, said the organization hopes to buy a bus with a wheelchair lift, noting five or six people who want to use the warm-up bus can’t get up the stairs.
“It’s been really unfortunate, we haven’t been able to assist everybody on the streets,” Nicotine said.
“They’re freezing, they’re cold, and there’s only so much we could do,” he said, adding that one person was too big to be lift manually into the bus, so volunteers had to make a call to get the person into a shelter.
An accessible bus would also help the team expand, he added. The non-profit wants to start a men’s mentorship program in the summer, and work in North Battleford next winter.
In summer, Church in the Hood holds neighbourhood events like concerts and barbecues in the core area.
When last week’s cold snap gripped the city, the crew counted more than 100 people who used the warm-up bus, Nicotine said.
“We easily went through two pots, 15 litres of soup.”
A TikTok video about the warm-up bus has gone viral, bringing international exposure to the organization, he said.
“People have been reaching out from the United States. Australia has been the farthest one.”
Nicotine said he has family in the North Battleford area and people have been asking him to expand the warm-up bus service to serve people there.
“After this year, and seeing how many people are on the streets, I told the board that maybe we should expand.”
The new bus would require some renovations, similar to the ones done on the current bus.
“Everybody comes on, they feel at home. They call it their second home,” Nicotine said.
In a Facebook post, Church in the Hood Ministries said $10,000 would allow it to purchase a bus and do some work on it.
The group is accepting donations by cheque (mailed to P.O. box 7291, Saskatoon PO Main SK, S7K 4J2) or by email transfer to churchinthehoodsaskatoon@gmail.com.
The mentorship program will take place in the summer, and will be designed to help men on the streets with their health and fitness, Nicotine said.
“Our goal this year is to have a four-month membership program.”
The program will cover gym memberships and meals, and will allow Nicotine to spend time with the men to help mentor them.
“We can do all the work, but it has to come from them that they want to do the change,” he said.
