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As extreme cold warnings covered Saskatchewan on Friday morning, many people had a warm place to shelter, but in Saskatoon the most vulnerable sectors of the population don’t always have that luxury.
That’s why Ralph Nicotine and his wife started a warm-up bus three years ago.
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Nicotine parks the bus at the City Centre Church, and said the cold snap has brought even more people seeking their services.
“Yesterday (Friday) as soon as we parked within five minutes we already had people coming onto the bus,” said Nicotine. “They take turns — if there are other people outside the bus they’ll get off and they’ll let others come on and warm up.”
Nicotine said a 61-year-old man showed up with a pair of shoes with no socks, jeans and a spring jacket, so he gave him some socks, ski pants and some jackets.
Nicotine said the bus is always looking for donations like clothing items and food.
“The FSIN (Federation of Sovereign Indian Nations) donated a bunch of jackets, mitts, toques and some winter boots,” he said.
“A lot of donations come people from the community and not even from Saskatchewan, we were reached out to from people in Australia.”
Nicotine said the Australian contact was because they saw a video on TikTok that some people shared about the bus and what it does.
@church_in_the_hood Have a look inside the warm up bus that serves our inner city friends with a warm place and to enjoy a bowl of soup, sandwiches, teas and waters.. we also got that winter gear on deck for the ones in need, Thank You for your continuous support #saskatoon #yxe #churchinthehood #serving #houseless
Between 10 to 12 people can fit onto the bus at any one time, where they are able to sit down, warm up and even grab a warm meal.
Nicotine said when it’s really cold the bus usually heads out around 6 p.m or 7 p.m.
“We usually wait one hour, if nobody has come on the bus within the hour we shut down,” he said. “St. Mary’s (warming shelter) opens at 11 p.m. so a lot of the guys come over and just wait.”
The warm-up bus offers seating, clothing and food to people in need. (Church in the Hood Ministries Facebook/Submitted)
Nicotine said he has noticed the homeless situation in Saskatoon has got worse over the last three years.
“I’m seeing a lot of new faces each year,” said Nicotine.
The 2024 Point-in-Time count in Saskatoon revealed there are at least 1,499 homeless people in the city, and Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand believes that 90 per cent of them are First Nations.
In 2022, 550 homeless people were counted.
But Nicotine has seen some positives over the last three years of operating the warm-up bus as well.
“Some of the other people that three years ago when I first met they’re actually out of living on the streets and into their own homes now.”
Nicotine said it’s good to see those people going back to school, getting jobs and working on their lives.
Anyone wanting to make a donation to the bus can contact Nicotine at Church in the Hood Ministries at 639-384-0924 or email churchinthehoodsaskatoon@gmail.com.
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