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‘We can do this better’: Downtown business owners meet with province about shelter services

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Members of Saskatoon's downtown business community had a meeting with provincial ministers last week to discuss the future of downtown homeless shelters and supported living facilities.

Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce CEO Jason Aebig said more than 15 small and medium business owners met with Minister of Social Services Gene Makowsky and Health Minister Paul Merriman last Tuesday about persistent issues in the downtown core.

"Our goal was to give those ministers an opportunity to hear directly from people who have made a significant investment in a downtown business or downtown property, share some of their perceptions of what's happening and certainly the impact to help shape how the province proceeds with its ultimate strategy regarding shelter facilities," Aebig said.

The meeting comes less than two months after Makowsky abruptly announced an incoming end to the province's relationship with The Lighthouse Supported Living Inc., which has been providing shelter services in Saskatoon for 30 years.

Aebig said the province is expected to reveal more information on other providers or agencies before the end of September.

"Any future shelter facilities should be better equipped to address the complex challenges and the number of people who use those services. So moving away from this idea where we simply sort of shoehorn shelter services into buildings that were never designed for those purposes," he said.

Aebig said one example of this is providing an outdoor gathering space for any shelter to avoid congregating on sidewalks and in alleyways.

Current practices at both the Lighthouse and at the Saskatoon Tribal Council's Downtown Wellness Shelter involve removing some users for portions of the day, which can be as long as 12 hours in some cases.

"That's not only unfair, it's cruel. We can do this better. If we look at shelters from the point of view of what the end user needs, and what the implications are for stakeholders, if we're intentional about planning around this, we can do this right," Aebig said.

The conversation was "really productive," according to Aebig. The ministers were very understanding of the issues business owners are facing, which Aebig said are concerns about safety, vandalism and security, which are beginning to cost businesses.

Aebig said being impatient or uncaring is not what's at stake, but rather the increasing costs for small businesses that have been impacted by inflation and other forces in 2022.

"If you're a particularly big business, for example, a mall -- you're adding maybe 10, 15 per cent more to your budget for added security just so that you can maintain a safe environment for everybody," Aebig said.

Using lessons learned over the past decade, Aebig said the greater community and the province both understand the complex needs facing the homeless population and how shelters can better serve them moving forward.

"Let's think it through so the next 10 years doesn't look like the last 10 years," he said. 

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