Former fire hall in Sutherland will be home to Saskatoon’s new shelter

An old fire station in Sutherland will be home to a new 30-bed emergency shelter in Saskatoon.

The former site of Fire Station No. 5 on Central Avenue will become the first of two new emergency shelters for the city. It’s expected to open this spring.

According to the city, the site is expected to operate as a medium-to-long-term shelter once further investments are made into the facility by the Government of Saskatchewan.

The Mustard Seed – an organization based in Calgary – was selected by the province to operate the shelters, while the city is responsible for finding the locations.

In October, the Government of Saskatchewan announced an approach to homelessness which included funding for the 60 new emergency shelter spaces in two Saskatoon locations.

“There is a crisis of homelessness, both with increasing numbers of people who are without homes as well as the risks that come with colder winter temperatures,” Saskatoon fire chief Morgan Hackl said in a media release from the city.

“The city has repeatedly asked the Government of Saskatchewan for further supports in Saskatoon; they have committed to just that, and the City is supporting the Province and this sense of urgency by agreeing to find emergency shelter locations for those experiencing homelessness.”

The City of Saskatoon has ownership of the building and proposed to lease it to the province. The Saskatoon Fire Department’s staff will also have a presence in the neighborhood.

The city said neighborhood information meetings will be held in the coming weeks, including representatives from the city, province and The Mustard Seed to keep residents and business owners in that area informed.

The location of the second emergency shelter has not been announced yet.