'Put this shelter on pause': STC chief criticizes proposed Saskatoon downtown shelter

There’s more fallout on the proposed shelter in downtown Saskatoon. This time, it's from Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Tribal Chief Mark Arcand who says the province should be putting more funding into existing shelters like the one in Fairhaven.

“Put this shelter on pause for the next fiscal year,” he said.

Arcand wants the city and province to stop what he calls a rushed process to open a new shelter for this winter and focus on putting that money into existing services, like the STC Fairhaven shelter and Salvation Army in Riversdale.

Arcand says funding should not be spread thin across multiple locations but rather concentrated on current providers to enable them to deliver more effective services.

“We have a lack of supports with the current funding model,” he said.

“I'm concerned about our shelter in Fairhaven because we've shown great outcomes and results. The province will say we're a great partner, we value them, but why are we getting cut? I question this, that's not reconciliation.”

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Arcand has been vocal about the fact that his staff doesn’t have the resources to deal with security issues in the Fairhaven neighbourhood, but says, more money will help with that.

“We should also have increased policing around the facility, because when Mustard Seed was asked the other day, what are you going to do about people outside? They said that's not our responsibility. I said that from day one,” Arcand said.

The province has contracted the Mustard Seed, an Alberta-based non-profit, to operate future shelters in the city.

The Ministry of Social Services says that in 2024-25, the province is investing $28.9 million to continue providing and expanding homelessness services, including the implementation of the provincial approach to homelessness.

“This includes $16.2 million to support ongoing emergency shelter operations across the province,” the ministry said in an email.

Mayor Charlie Clark says the service providers in the community, including STC, have been doing life-saving work and need the necessary supports to continue their efforts during this growing crisis.

However, he clarified that the City of Saskatoon does not play a role in the funding or operational details of shelters, as these are contracts made between the province and individual service providers.

Arcand meanwhile says, no matter where shelters are set up, there will be security concerns in the neighbourhood and if funding isn’t in place to deal with those concerns, the cycle will continue.

He plans to attend next Wednesday’s council meeting where a decision on the Pacific Avenue site is expected to be made.

The STC's chief goal is to ensure they can offer more effective supports for residents inside the shelter and also outside, for residents nearby.