Prince Albert nursing students raise awareness about homelessness

Prince Albert -

Nursing students from the University of Saskatchewan are hoping to find ways to help the homeless population in Prince Albert.

Eight fourth-year students walked through downtown Prince Albert, aiming to raise awareness on the health situation of the homeless population in the city.

The walk is part of a student research project on how homelessness affects the health of individuals, their families and the community, and how nurses can better work with this population in the future.

Nursing student Kallie Sieben said the walk helps them learn about the lives of people they might end up caring for.

“We don’t necessarily know where they go home to and where they come from and it’s important to have a more holistic understanding of the people we’re working with,” said Sieben. 

The group has been working on the project for a month. The walk offers them first-hand knowledge of the issues that arise from homelessness.

“We did a lot of personal research whether it was online or just kind of windshield surveys and walking around downtown independently,” said Sieben. “Having someone like a police officer who has been in downtown for quite a long time to ask questions to get a more real-life experience as opposed to online perspective that you can find based on research.”

Before the walk, officers from the Prince Albert Police Service went to the university to talk to the students about some of the issues leading to homelessness.

University of Saskatchewan nursing students and Prince Albert Police Service officers gathered for a walk in downtown.

“We’re dealing with people that are suffering from addictions, from mental health issues, lacking resources, sometimes skills and in basic terms, they’re homeless,” said Sgt. Derek Simonson with the Prince Albert Police Service.

Simonson says the partnership with the nursing students is a way to raise awareness about the social determinants of homelessness.

“I think homelessness is a community responsibility, a community concern.”