Saskatoon Lighthouse emergency shelter to close Sept. 30
The emergency shelter at Lighthouse Supported Living will officially cease operations next week.
A source has confirmed to CTV News that on Sept. 30 the non-profit's 61 emergency beds will no longer be available. However, the bulk of the organization's programming and services will continue.
The Ministry of Social Services announced it would be pulling funding for the shelter earlier this year.
The move came after it came to light that the director of the Lighthouse Don Windels had used shelter funds for personal loans.
In mid-January, Windels was placed on leave with two members of the board taking over his responsibilities.
According to the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership’s (SHIP) most recent homeless person headcount, which was conducted in April, there were at least 550 people experiencing homelessness in Saskatoon.
“More people on the street, we need to provide services for people to be able to continue to help to get those services,” SHIP’s Communications Coordinator Brenna Sych said.
“If they don't have somewhere to go, (they make) encampments,” said Sych. “It could be people on the street; it could be people sleeping outside.”
The Saskatoon Tribal Council opened its temporary wellness centre late last year and has plans to open a permanent location on 20th Street. The Salvation Army also offers an emergency shelter.
The Lighthouse says it will provide a statement early next week once transition plans are finalized.
The Ministry of Social Services says it's working on a transition plan with community partners and that support will continue to be in place to meet the needs in the community for vulnerable individuals.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.