'People have nowhere to go': Saskatoon city councillor releases statistics that show increase in homelessness
A Saskatoon city councillor says statistics from a local homeless shelter demonstrate how quickly homelessness is growing in the city.
Ward 3 councillor David Kirton referenced data from the Salvation Army’s shelter on 19th Street West in a blog post on his website, where the number of overnight stays is on the rise.
In 2022, there were 970 individuals who visited the shelter throughout the year with 16,845 overnight stays.
In 2021, 774 people came through the shelter doors and experienced 15,045 overnight stays.
The shelter had the highest admittance this February, of 702 — compared to the last three Februarys, where the average was 113.
The admittance data refers to the number of visits, not people. The visits could be by the same person.
"Considering that the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s Emergency Wellness Centre capacity (106 beds) exceeds the Salvation Army’s (85 beds), the number of people who have been unhoused this winter is easily double that of what you see on this chart," Kirton said on his website.
He blames the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) program for the increase and said it's not working.
“Shelters are bursting at the seams. People have nowhere to go, landlords aren’t renting to them, and there are more evictions,” Kirton said.
SIS began in 2019, with the goal to make people receiving income assistance more self-sufficient.
SIS replaced the Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP) and the Transitional Employment Allowance (TEA).
But with payments no longer made directly to landlords, and utility payments no longer guaranteed, Kirton says people on SIS are getting evicted — and as a result, turning to shelters.
“The system needs to change,” Kirton said.
He is calling for SAP to return and the rates to increase to reflect current rental rates.
CTV News asked the province if it would consider making changes to the SIS program.
In a statement to CTV News, Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said, “The root causes of homelessness are complex.”
He said the province has staff on-site at the the Salvation Army shelter and the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s Wellness Centre.
“We work closely with all partners to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and better support individuals,” the statement read.
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