Feds spend $7.6M to curb homelessness in Saskatoon
The federal government is spending $7.6 million to create about 36 new affordable homes in Saskatoon.
The new units could be at existing homeless shelters facilities, or may be new builds.
The city will turn to different housing agencies for proposals and spend the federal money accordingly.
Mayor Charlie Clark said the cash could be allocated to revamping City Inn and Suites, but the city is relying on “the expertise of housing providers” to make decisions.
“We want to make sure there’s the best cost-to-benefit ratio and we’ll have to work with local neighbourhoods on the location,” Clark told reporters.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) is a housing provider that plans to submit an application.
STC Chief Mark Arcand said his proposal would go beyond housing.
“You can’t just place somebody into a house, you got to provide the services,” Arcand said.
“Our plan is going to be a whole holistic model to incorporate culture, language, identity.”
Arcand said he wants 24 hour security in his model to ensure the homes stay safe.
Fire Chief Morgan Hackl said he’s seen first-hand the struggles people face on Saskatoon streets.
He said it’s important the housing initiative also supports mental health and addictions.
“I don’t think there’s any one solution right now. There’s different types of housing that are best suited for different people,” Hackl said.
“It’s evident that some of what we have provided in the past, is not what these people in our community are looking for.”
The $7.6 million for Saskatoon is part of $2.5 billion the federal government is spending across Canada for the Rapid Housing Initiative.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.