STC wellness centre moving to new location next month

More beds and a new location are coming to an emergency wellness centre in Saskatoon.

With the closing of the Lighthouse and its 61 government-funded spaces, the provincial government has redistributed those spaces across the city. The Salvation Army received funding for 30 of them, and the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) will host the remaining 31 at a new, 106-bed location on Fairmont Drive.

The building was purchased by Saskatchewan Housing Corporation for $5 million, and is now being leased by STC.

STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand said even though there may be an issue from some in the community about the placement of the shelter, there are bigger problems to address.

“I’m not going to apologize to the people in that neighbourhood, because there’s nothing to apologize for,” Arcand said.

“The only thing that I’m going to say is they need to help us. This whole entire city needs to help us and combat homelessness. We’ve got to combat the overdose crisis. We’ve got to combat addictions. We’ve got to make a place for our people to feel safe and welcome.”

Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand speaks to media in downtown Saskatoon. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

Arcand said the new facility is open to all, and the whole intention for the new shelter is not to disrupt the community, but for people to come together.

“We should have one of these in every ward in the City of Saskatoon, because it treats everybody fair,” Arcand added.

The chief said now is the time for a collective effort to find solutions. He said the city needs more shelters with proper staffing in order to tackle social issues within the community. Plus, he said, he has already seen results.

Calls for emergency services from inside the STC’s shelter have gone down, he said, as they have a paramedic on site. That has helped relieve some pressure on first responders, and Arcand says they’ve built a good relationship with police, firefighters and paramedics.

Arcand said he hopes the STC’s downtown location on First Avenue will remain open until the end of its lease in March. He said he hopes to find additional funding so that it can become part of the city’s cold weather strategy during winter months, so people have a place to go to stay warm.

The new facility on Fairmont will serve those fleeing from domestic violence, Arcand said, as the new building will give them the ability to separate people into safe spaces.

The new wellness centre will provide meals, shower and laundry facilities, along with cultural support, security and health and wellness counselling, Arcand said. During the summer months, he said staff will be setting up teepees on the grounds of the new shelter.

The target date to move into the facility is Nov. 15.

Kirton supports new shelter in his ward

The new shelter will be located in City Councillor David Kirton’s ward. He said he supports the initiative, especially with winter is on the way and the downtown emergency wellness shelter full every night.

“We had a situation last year where, thanks to the fact that we had those extra beds in the wellness centre, nobody died due to being exposed to the cold last year, unlike the year before,” he said.

Kirton said he’s visited the new location and noted the green space around it; something that doesn’t exist downtown.

“People will have a place to go when they open the doors, instead of being plunked out onto a cement sidewalk in the downtown area where thousands of motorists drive by and gawk at them all the time,” he explained.

Kirton acknowledged that there’s been a lot of concern from Fairhaven residents about the new shelter, especially on social media. He was asked by some to “do something about it,” but told them he couldn’t.

“The church had already been zoned M-2. And M-2 allows for churches, but also allows for care homes for those who don’t have shelter … so this basically was the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation purchasing this and the Saskatoon Tribal Council is going to turn it into a shelter,” he said.

“There’s no need for any zoning changes so, in fact, the city did not have a decision to make here.”

Kirton does have a couple of requests for STC.

He said he hopes the tribal council will eventually hold an open house to allow area residents to see how the centre will be run.

“I would love to see some relatives there who could explain their situation maybe, and for people to see that these are real human beings,” said Kirton.

–With files from Lara Fominoff.