Council approves 'parking patio' space for downtown Saskatoon shelter

City council has cleared the way for an outdoor space for clients of the Saskatoon Tribal Council's (STC) downtown shelter.

A report from administration said having such a space would "lessen the impact of loitering and nuisance activities."

The space would provide "immediate benefits to users of the facility," the report said.

The "parking patio" space will be similar to those allocated to some eateries in the city.

"I don't have concern about activities of the wellness centre being visible to residents in Saskatoon," Ward 2 Coun. Hilary Gough said, speaking in support of the plan.

"I think if we're going to be uncomfortable about that, we should feel uncomfortable about homelessness in our community."

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While council was unanimous in its support for the plan, Ward 6 Coun. Cynthia Block — who represents downtown — said some residents are concerned.

"I believe strongly that providing outdoor space is you know a pivotal piece of the equation to make life better for everyone," Ward 6 Coun. Cynthia Block said.

"I think you would understand that I also have a whole pile of residents that are concerned about this and are wondering what this means for them and how they're going to navigate."

Block said residents are feeling increased pressure due to the ongoing "crisis" of homelessness in the community.

Mayor Charlie Clark called it an "evolving situation."

"I think over the last several years, we've talked about how the Lighthouse you know, also the place that people end up gathering is on the sidewalk because there's no other clear outdoor space," Clark said.

"I do believe it's a step that's worth trying and adapting and seeing how it goes and providing dignity to the people who are needing that space."

WILL BE LIKE OTHER PATIOS

STC Chief Mark Arcand said it feels good to have the backing of city council on the project, and the patio would look similar to Hudsons on 4th avenue downtown but with higher walls around it.

“We're trying to make it community-friendly, we're going to maybe look at some fake trees or maybe some umbrellas and that kind of stuff to actually enhance the downtown, maybe paint it up a little bit,” he said.

Arcand says the patio should stretch about 18 metres along the south side of the shelter’s main entrance to the end of the building and will stick out about six feet from the building.

“There will be a space for walking for people that are walking around it so you don't actually have to walk through people when they're walking by the Wellness Centre,” he said.

“It's a temporary solution for people that are complaining about our streets, our downtown, how it looks.”

He said STC is hoping to get started on the patio project this week, and it will be removed in September.

BETTER PLANNING NEEDED: CHAMBER CEO

Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce CEO Jason Aebig says adding a patio is the best option for a location that was never meant to host a shelter.

“We have to quit mashing shelter operations into facilities and locations that were that were never purpose built for that reason, for that type of operation,” he said.

“If we continue to do this, we're going to continue to run into these ongoing challenges and issues and frustrations that people face, not only those who use the shelter facilities but the stakeholders in and around them.”

Aebig says future shelters should be built in a more thoughtful way.

“We should be talking about any future shelter operation that has a requirement on-site outdoor space for shelter residents to be able to gather safely, a space that safeguards their dignity and helps to reduce the impact of shelter operations on area stakeholders.” he said.

“It's a frustration and it's a challenge for area businesses and others who may be impacted by shelter operations, but I think we owe STC the time to be able to really build out this model, see if this model can actually work, and give them the time also to explore a different location that will solve some of these challenges over a longer-term.”

The temporary STC shelter was opened in December, originally with a six-month timeline for operation.

Council granted an extension earlier this month as the STC works to relocate to a permanent location on 20th Street West.