'It's so frustrating': More people sleeping outside in Saskatoon, community support officers say
Frontline services in Saskatoon are reporting an increase in the number of people sleeping outside and refusing to use the various housing organizations in the city.
Rob Garrison, supervisor of the Community Support Program (CSP), said this has resulted in more calls for service and many more reports of open drug use.
According to his support officers, people are choosing to sleep on the street over isolating in a hotel or working with an agency to find suitable housing.
“It’s so frustrating because we can see that it’s not healthy, that it’s not safe, that they are putting themselves in a vulnerable position,” Garrison said.
Stylus Assiniboine told CTV News he’s been homeless since he was released from jail around two months ago. He said he’s currently trying to kick his addiction to crystal meth and finds it difficult to sober up and secure safe housing.
“My addiction is a problem because it makes me think people are judging me and they don’t want to help me,” Assiniboine said while resting near the White Buffalo Youth Lodge in Saskatoon. “The drugs make me think people don’t want to help. I have to break this addiction.”
While he does his best to remain sober, Assiniboine said he feels he’d have a much better chance of kicking his meth addiction if he was in a suitable home, admitting how easy it is to fall back to the drug through feelings of helplessness and despair.
“Most days it just seems like it’s never going to get better and we just give up on everything and accept being homeless. It’s a struggle,” he said.
On Wednesday the city’s street activity subcommittee met to discuss Garrison’s report. During the meeting Garrison spoke about the challenges of responding to calls where a person is intoxicated by drugs and the different challenges presented to his community support officers.
“I don’t know what the street level solutions are, it is alarming,” he said. “There hasn’t been a lot of improvement I was hoping for to help people under the influence, they are a difficult group to house short and long term. It takes more than just moving them along.”
Assiniboine agrees, saying that despite places to go to detox and help sober up, he finds himself trapped by his addictions again.
“There’s rehab and detox but after you’re done all that and you’re back in the world on your own, it’s nearly impossible to remain sober because of how life is,” he said.
Garrison reported his staff responded to 108 calls for outreach in May alone and with many calls keeping officers for hours at a time. On average Garrison said his team receives about 30 outreach calls a month.
The street activity subcommittee passed a motion to send a letter to the city’s standing policy committee on planning, development and community services to come up with ideas to improve access to housing for vulnerable people.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.