‘Roll up your sleeves and be part of the solution,’ STC chief says to wellness centre critics

Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand is firing back at critics who opposed the one-year lease extension granted to the downtown Emergency Wellness Centre by city council.

Arcand said he’s concerned about the stigma against homeless people in the downtown area. Over the last six months, he said, there have been more than 500 people who’ve sought help at the facility, and about 11,000 visits.

There are challenges, Arcand admitted, because there’s no green space or benches for people to sit or lie down on outside the shelter’s doors. But, he added, it’s not a crime to sit on a sidewalk.

“If it is, then I’m going to start sitting on the sidewalk … people have to be compassionate and understanding that there’s situations that are happening. It’s not a crime. Don’t waste the police’s time to ask to have them removed because they’re homeless,” he said.

Arcand said he’s aware of letters from some residents in the area expressing concern, including letters from the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business Improvement District to city council. The letters expressed concern about some of the behaviour displayed around the centre at 145 1st Avenue North, concern that the centre is expected to keep its doors open for another year, and negative impacts on businesses, their customers and staff.

STC is looking at two options for alternate locations, Arcand said. First is a building on 20th Street West that may house “complex needs” users, and another property, the address of which he could not disclose, to be used for families and others who are “healthier” and trying to transition to permanent housing. Each facility, he said, could hold up to 120 people. The total cost for both facilities would be anywhere from $10 million to $15 million.

“I don’t have a turn-key solution. If I did, then we’d be in there,” said Arcand.

Arcand said some area residents and business need a better understanding of STC is trying to do.

“I do not want to be in downtown Saskatoon,” Arcand emphasized. “I want to be in a better place, where we can have better services and we can bring those services to them.”

In the interim, Arcand maintained, local businesses should be asking how they can help instead of bringing up issues.

“Right now, some of them don’t want to help. All they want to do is sit in the background and complain, and I’m not gonna worry about that. I’m gonna let them complain all they want because we’re going to help people,” he added.

“They need to roll up their sleeves and say ‘how do I want to be part of the solution?’”

Saskatoon Police Response

Saskatoon Police Superintendent Cameron McBride said the operations at the wellness centre have had “absolutely no effect” on policing.

“There’s been no significant draw on resources whatsoever and that, to me, is a confirmation that what’s happening here and the training that the staff here have been provided it is working, and is working very well,” McBride said.

Outside the wellness centre there is some crime and disorder, McBride admitted, but he said there’s also some discomfort with a new population of people in the area.

“We’re not seeing a significant increase in crime,” he said.

“Within this block there has been an increase in calls for service. I think much of it is the fact that this particular community, this small, one-block community of people and businesses has changed in the last year. People that weren’t here last year are now here, and for some people they find that hard to understand how to deal with … and so police become the go-to.”

McBride said there’s also discretion in policing.

“There are people in Saskatoon who believe that enforcement and strict enforcement, frequent enforcement, is the way to go,” he said. “It should be the mandate of the police to bring public safety and security through enforcement.”

He said there’s ample evidence now to show that enforcement alone is not the best, nor the only option. He said police are learning from the past, and are trying to look to the future to meet the needs of residents.

Relative Jason Wattendorf

Jason Wattendorf, one of the wellness centre’s clients, speaks to media about his experience. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

Everyone who uses the services at the emergency wellness centre is called and considered a “relative.”

Jason Wattendorf is one of those relatives. Wattendorf said he found himself in a situation where he needed help, but he knew within 24 hours of accessing the centre that his life would change for the better.

“Everything about this place is so … I want to say home. Right. I know that when I leave this place I’m going to be ahead of the game, and it’s because of the staff here, and it’s because of the choices I’m making,” he said. “I came from a really checkered past that affected my life in a bad manner.”

Wattendorf said he couldn’t even get in the door to some other shelters in the city. While he understands the downtown centre has problems, he said he’d like to see more people assisting with the shelter’s work.

“I know that this place is not perfect. It’s just starting out,” he said. “I’m hoping that the community will help us out lots.”

While he said he’s homeless right now, Wattendorf said he’s waiting for a housing coordinator to help him secure a place of his own. His hope is to get a job as a peace officer at the centre, he said.

“I pray I get the job,” he said. “I’ve been pushed along … being told I had to make a difference and am making a difference was confidence-building.”