Square One Community, an organization aimed at helping to reduce homelessness in the city of Moose Jaw recently released its 2024 Point in Time Count (PiT) and numbers showed there were at least 150 people experiencing homelessness last year. “We finally got the final report from the Metis Nation, from Reaching Homes, which certified the findings we looked at in the fall. We found that as expected, there were 76 individuals who were surveyed,” said Maxton Eckstein, the general manager of Square One Community. On top of that, there were 44 people overserved who were unable to be surveyed. Eckstein said they added 25 per cent on top of confirmed numbers, for those who are suffering homelessness and are considered invisible, or otherwise known as people who they could not reach to take part in the survey. “So, in total, that’s double from last year’s count and that’s an increase we are seeing across the country and across Saskatchewan,” Eckstein said. Other findings from the report indicated that about 50 per cent of homeless individuals were under the age of 30. “We’re having youths experiencing homelessness now at an elevated rate. We’re also seeing a notable amount of veterans in the survey findings,” Eckstein added. Up to 15 per cent of people surveyed had served in the RCMP or with the armed forces. Another 26 per cent of respondents are with dependents, such as children. “We did find that about one third of survey responders did identify as Indigenous or Metis. Which is high for Moose Jaw. So, services of course need to be tailored to those individuals,” Eckstein said. Square One Community have taken in about 11 people into their supportive housing program, and they hope to up that number to 30 by the spring of 2026. Eckstein said post pandemic stressors have contributed to the jump in this year’s count. “This is not unusual, but for rural and remote, we are Saskatchewan’s largest. It does mean that new interventions and new programming need to come into play to meet those demands.” Eckstein added that extra supportive housing in Moose Jaw would help reduce numbers. “As part of provincial approach to homelessness, 15 new emergency shelter spaces were established in Moose Jaw at Willow Lodge,” the Ministry of Social Services outlined in a statement to CTV News. “The [Ministry] works with John Howard Society to provide shelter spaces year-round and assist individuals experiencing homelessness to access services. We continue to monitor use of existing shelter spaces in Moose Jaw.” While the latest numbers are concerning, the City of Moose Jaw said this is only the second PiT count that has been completed. “Ongoing, more comprehensive data is needed to completely understand the scope of this issue,” the city said in a statement. “We thank local groups like Square One and Willow Lodge for providing needed supports to those experiencing homelessness, and we look forward to working together to develop effective strategies to support those in need.”
