Saskatoon temporary homeless shelter gets final approval, set to open Monday

Saskatoon shelter goes ahead WATCH: CTV Saskatoon's Miriam Valdes-Carletti has the latest on plans for a temporary homeless shelter.

Saskatoon City Council unanimously approved a temporary homeless shelter in the downtown core during a special meeting Thursday morning.

The project, led by the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC), is located on 145 First Avenue North and will have capacity for 50 beds.

“We have a lot of work to do in the next three to four months to help people but the main thing is they’re going to be out of the cold and we’re going to try and accommodate as many people as we can,” STC Chief Mark Arcand said.

Arcand says what sets their shelter apart from others in the city is that it offers laundry services, showers, an entertainment room and other elements to make people feel “at home.”

People in the shelter will also be allowed stay as long as they’d like, according to Arcand.

“We’ve got to show outcomes and results and that’s the tough work that comes ahead, we’re not going to fix everybody … this is temporary and we’re going to really try and set a standard for other people so next winter maybe it is permanent,” Arcand said.

Several partners and businesses have partnered with STC to donate fridges, water heaters and other essentials for the shelter.

Katelyn Roberts, executive director of Sanctum Care Group, says the organization got involved because it wanted to support the initiative.

“We are providing trauma and violence informed training and support to all of their staff, training for symptoms of overdose, harm reduction training and observing and monitoring individuals living with complex health and social situations,” Roberts told CTV News.

The shelter will also include COVID-19 testing, regular wellness checks during the day, food and sleeping accommodations and Indigenous elders on site.

Arcand says the shelter will cost $1.4 million.

The shelter will open on Monday after undergoing preparations over the weekend such as installing fire alarms.