Saskatoon Tribal Council finds site for winter wellness centre

A building in downtown Saskatoon might become a new home for up to 50 people without a place to stay this winter.

After announcing a proactive plan to get people off the streets of Saskatoon last month, Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) chief Mark Arcand shared a potential location for the centre intended to shelter and provide care for people currently living on the streets.

Arcand called it a wellness centre, rather than a shelter.

“It’s for people that are actually going to be staying here, (trying) to get some programs and services,” he said Thursday morning.

The winter plan to find living accommodations came from the STC’s desire to get people out of tent cities and into a warm, secure room. Arcand said they’ll be following the rules of the city, police and fire department to make sure people stay safe and everything is up to code.

After weeks of researching properties and consulting realtors, the City of Saskatoon helped STC locate the building in downtown Saskatoon for their plan to help the city’s homeless population this winter.

STC looked throughout the city at warehouses and asked for help from local churches, but it wasn’t until the city stepped up — as the City of Regina did to help provide shelter to residents of their own tent city earlier this month.

Arcand said council also approved a temporary bylaw change to city zoning to accommodate a shelter throughout the city. That allowance comes with some requirements, and as such, STC is still waiting on some final approvals before the building is fully approved to become their wellness centre.

“We had no other choice,” Arcand said about the building’s downtown location. “It’s not to disrupt the community, it’s not to disrupt the downtown, it’s to try to help people, to save people’s lives.”

A look at the facilities

The building itself is a former sub-office of the Saskatoon Police Service located at 145 1st Street North.

Safety protocols like removing door knobs and blinds to be able to access and view each room for regular checks will be carried out every 15 minutes. A wing of the building will be used as a COVID area for people who test positive for the virus.

Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand speaks to media in front of a building in downtown Saskatoon that has been identified as a possible place for a temporary wellness centre for up to 50 people without homes this winter. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

Arcand said the building is equipped with washrooms and showers for hygiene. COVID tests will be conducted for people staying at the facility and there is hope a washing machine and dryer will also be installed.

The STC Chief also hopes three meals each day can be provided to clients, but said they won’t be accommodating people in the facility just to eat.

“It’s not just a pop-up organization (that) we’re going to put people in just to sleep. It’s all about safety,” he said.

Safety precautions like smoke detectors in each of the 50 rooms, courtesy of the Saskatoon Fire Department, will help with that.

Programs offered by the STC and its partners include addictions support; help with finances, baking information and how to manage social assistance; learning about tenants rights; and transportation.

“We’re on a good street here for public transportation,” said Arcand, who says the STC is looking into getting bus passes for the people they will care for.

Arcand also wants to help their clients find a more permanent living solution that they can sustain for themselves after the centre closes in the spring.

Arcand stressed the importance of mental health and wellness, adding that one-on-one sessions will be provided with Possibilities Recovery Centre for those who need help with addictions.

Partners like Sawēyihotān, the Saskatoon Fire Department and others have been very instrumental in the progress already made, Arcand said with gratitude.

The wellness centre will not require clients to leave during the day. Arcand said the rooms will act as a winter-long residence for those living in the downtown building.

“We’ll have fridges, microwaves so it’s just like their own home,” he said, adding that residents will have the freedom to spend their days as they wish or need.

An intake area will greet future residents and get them settled when they first arrive. A smudge room and an Elder will be available on site, and a side door will be accessible for clients needing to access the building after hours.

Arcand mentioned the possibility of hiring some people staying at the building to help with its upkeep.

“We’re going to try and give them some dignity,” he said. “The alternative is certainly better than a tent city.”

Opening date to be determined

With temperatures beginning to drop, Arcand wants to see the facilities open sooner rather than later.

“The weather is changing. It’s getting cold and that’s why we’re asking,” he said.

Arcand would like to open as early as Dec. 8, but acknowledged they are still waiting on certain approvals by the city council, which might not be decided for another couple of weeks.

“If this was a private facility, I could probably be open next week,” Arcand said.

Staff training will start as early as Monday and Tuesday. Arcand said Sanctum Care Group will be training people on trauma-informed care, signs and symptoms of overdoses, sharps and naloxone safety and how to look after people with complex needs like diabetes.

Sanctum will also be donating an AED for onsite use.

The building will also be employing security and primary health care workers like a nurse practitioner to help with first aid concerns like wound care.

A health inspection of the space was already completed.

Homes for those in crisis

With all these plans in place, Arcand knows problems could still arise.

“It’s not perfect, it may upset people, but that’s not the intention,” he stated.

While the initial vision for the plan was to see 50 people taken care of, Arcand doesn’t think it will fill up overnight. But with the Salvation Army looking for overflow options, he thinks there’s potential that as many as 200 people might need a place to stay with them.

The intention is for Saskatoon to come together and address homelessness.

“This is our community, this is our city. We’ve got a crisis on our hands and we all need to come together,” Arcand said. “It’s a bad situation.”

The STC is currently using internal funding to go ahead with their plans for the facilities, but knows they might not be open longer than two months without greater financial supports.

Arcand said they’ve applied for a $1.4 million federal grant. He also asked members of the public to consider donating what they can to help.

Calls offering blankets and skills like construction work have already been coming in to the STC. Linens and bedding are still in need, and donations would be welcomed from hospitals or individuals.

“We need food for these people, we need a place to stay,” Arcand stressed.