Cost for Saskatoon’s downtown emergency shelter doubles due to repairs

Increased renovation costs are hampering the plans for a temporary emergency shelter in Saskatoon, according to a new report from the city.

City council approved the location of a new 35-bed emergency shelter on Pacific Avenue in September.

The cost to run the facility for 18 months was supposed to be covered by a provincial grant of $250,000, but the estimated construction cost is now more than double the funds available.

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“As is, the existing building has limited heat and no ventilation. The minimum required mechanical scope of work includes heating and ventilation systems for sleeping and plumbing for laundry, showers and additional washrooms,” reads the report from city administration to council.

The report adds that “cost savings measures” have been already used, like salvaging doors from other spaces and reusing existing fixtures and equipment.

The city is grappling with enough spaces to house people overnight as the number of encampments and those who are experiencing homelessness grows.

Two warming shelters that opened within the last month are shouldering the weight of overnight stays, with hundreds of people visiting on some nights. Staff at the Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre have resorted to collapsing cardboard boxes for visitors to sleep on.

The Saskatoon’s Tribal Council’s (STC) Emergency Wellness Centre in Fairhaven, which has 106 beds, is regularly at full capacity.

The STC’s Chief Mark Arcand has criticized the city’s plan for a downtown shelter, expressing concerns that the shelter won’t meet the demand given the homelessness crisis in Saskatoon.

The new estimated cost for the project is $610,000, leaving the city with a funding shortfall of $360,000.

(Saskatoon City Council report/submitted)

On Thursday, council will vote on four items:

• Pulling the funding shortfall from the city’s reserves to cover the cost.
• Having the administration negotiate with provincial and federal governments to reimburse the city for the spending.
• To give the Sask. Housing Corporation an 18-month tax break on the property.
• Getting the city solicitor to prepare the required tax exemption bylaw and agreement.

If any proposals are approved by council, the shelter is expected to open in March, 2025.

— with files from 650 CKOM’s Shane Clausing

Read more:

• St. Mary’s warming shelter in Saskatoon opens a week earlier than expected
• Warming centre fights to keep Saskatoon’s homeless safe in freezing cold