Saskatoon residents voice concerns over new shelter location

Plans for a permanent shelter in Saskatoon are starting to take shape, as city hall hosted residents and heard feedback. Hallee Mandryk reports.

As the City of Saskatoon works towards a permanent shelter space, residents were invited to city hall on Monday night to voice any questions or concerns regarding the selected location.

“We want people to understand that there is a lot of thought going into this, and that there is a lot of planning ahead of time to make sure that this can work as well as possible in our community,” Lesley Anderson, director of planning and development for the city, explained.

“We want to understand, are we missing anything? Is there anything more we can do?”

The 60-bed enhanced emergency shelter will be located at 170 31st St East, in the city’s central industrial area.

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According to Anderson, the site was selected after city administration looked at over 100 potential locations.

“The city administration has recommended this site to the province, and they’ve confirmed that it will work for their purpose. So, at this point in time, this is a site that we’re proceeding with,” Anderson said.

Many community members turned out to express concerns and ask questions regarding the space.

While the shelter will be at least 250 metres from the nearest school, some residents voiced concerns that the site will still be too close to its neighbouring schools, in addition to the Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre.

The topic of substance use was also a concern for many community members.

Representatives from the Mustard Seed expressed that while the facility will allow intoxicated individuals to access services, no drug use will be permitted on-site, and staff will be confiscating any drugs found.

Additionally, a safety check will be done on all individuals prior to entering the shelter to ensure that those accessing services will not pose a risk to themselves or others. In most cases, if someone doesn’t meet the safety criteria, staff will call police.

Some folks expressed concern that the 60 beds within the facility will not be enough to meet the need, particularly as colder months grow closer.

Saskatoon’s most recent point in time count identified a minimum of 1,499 unhoused people across the city in 2024.

“We were going through this process of hearing the information, and the feedback from the community, and then they’re [the province] going to incorporate what they need to into a tender to release this fall,” Anderson explained.

The city, alongside the provincial government, are now working towards the goal of having the shelter operational by September 2026. The current temporary shelter is in it’s final year of operation, making the completion of the permanent shelter a timely process.

“We have our temporary location that’s going to that only has approval for 18 months,” Anderson added. “So, we’re all working to ensure we have a new shelter operational by that 18 months.”