‘This is a place of safety’: Prairie Harm Reduction closure felt in community

The fallout of Prairie Harm Reduction closure is already being felt by some in the community. Stacey Hein has the story.

After Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR) shut down, people continued to gather outside its Pleasant Hill site, even as all operations, including supervised consumption, drop-in and support services, came to an end.

Lexus Sasakamoose, who relied on PHR services daily, was among those gathered outside and said the closure was heartbreaking.

“This is a place of safety. It is a place to be peaceful. It was a place to feel like yourself and not get hurt,” Sasakamoose said.

Prairie Harm Reduction closed following the discovery of a major financial shortfall last month.

Speaking to the media Thursday, PHR board vice-chair Brady Knight said the board received regular financial updates but was not made aware of the shortfall prior to early March.

“Based on the information that we received, we were not aware of any information, any potential issues prior to early March,” Knight said.

He said the organization went from a surplus last year to a deficit of hundreds of thousands of dollars, larger than expected once finances were reviewed, and pointed to rising demand for services as another factor in the shutdown.

“The increased number of overdoses, the increased number of unhoused people in our city, that have all contributed to this situation that we find ourselves in,” Knight said.

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He said PHR supported hundreds of people and that board members had been in contact with other organizations preparing to fill service gaps.

“I think it’s going to take a collective community effort of the various different service providers in our community,” he said.

NDP critic for mental health and addictions Betty Nippi-Albright said it was a loss for the community and would put pressure on other organizations.

“There’s going to be increased pressure on our emergency rooms, our community services,” Nippi-Albright told reporters Friday.

She questioned what the provincial government was doing to support people who relied on PHR services.

In a statement, the province said it was working with community partners to ensure supports remain available following the closure and that naloxone is available at 176 locations in the Saskatoon area.

It also pointed to its involuntary treatment program, which it said would “strengthen the province’s ability to help individuals who cannot seek treatment on their own.”

Mayor Cynthia Block also weighed in on the closure, saying it would affect residents, services and systems across the city.

“The absence of services it provided may be felt more deeply over time than is immediately apparent,” Block said in a statement.