More funding cuts announced Wednesday dealt another blow to The Lighthouse’s stabilization unit in Saskatoon.
A spokesperson for the provincial government stated in an email that, after a review of The Lighthouse’s services, the province does not believe the shelter serves enough clients for the government to fund operations of the stabilization unit.
The province is cutting funding for the unit, the spokesperson stated.
The unit, which serves as an emergency shelter for people under the influence of drugs and alcohol, was designed to keep people out of police cells and emergency rooms.
In February, funding cuts led Lighthouse officials to reduce hours at the stabilization centre. The unit, which was open 24 hours a day, moved to a 16-hour-a-day schedule.
Saskatoon police Chief Clive Weighill said after the February cutback announcement the reduced hours will hurt the city.
“Now, to have the doors close in the daytime, it’s going to put more people back on the streets downtown,” he said. “This is a setback for the city.”
He said the unit is better suited than police cells for some people on the streets.
“I mean these are the most needy people in our society,” he said. “They have to have some place that they can go to during the daytime.”
The Lighthouse Supported Living is a non-profit shelter for people living in poverty in Saskatoon.
The number of beds in the centre’s stabilization unit increased to 38 from 20 last November as part of a $4-million project.
