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Mayor Cynthia Block faced a wave of questions during a Rally for the Unhoused outside Saskatoon city hall on Wednesday.
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Speakers said there are still gaps in the system and the city and province have not been trying hard enough to close them for years.
“If it was your family, your siblings, your brother, you guys would put more effort into it,” one of the rally attendants said.
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Block said she spoke with provincial government officials on Wednesday and more information could be expected this week.
“The province has agreed that they are urgently working on this,” Block told the crowd, adding the discussion began after she reached out to the province on Tuesday.
A point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness in Saskatoon this fall identified a staggering 1,499 people living without permanent shelter in the city — almost three times the number found two years ago.
“Council is very concerned that we are being in a reactive process, that we fail to meet the challenge of our time, and that’s not OK,” Block said.
“We need to find an easier way for people to know what to do when we see someone who is unhoused.”
According to the city, 911 is the best number for people to call if they see someone who is unhoused and needs help.
This is a community-wide issue, and advocates and media are needed to get the message out so that access to safety resources can be obtained as quickly as possible, Block said.
The city has created a an encampment response plan to use money from a federal initiative to address homelessness and encampments.
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The plan includes a capital project valued at $4,483,122 for supportive housing units with a community space, and a study for a potential future community navigation centre.
The money will be allocated over two years, and needs to be spent by March 31, 2026.
Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand called on the city for immediate assistance on Friday after the point-in-time homelessness numbers were released.
Arcand has been critical of the city’s plans to address homelessness, noting in November that additional shelter spaces should have been ready in September.
Provision of emergency shelter for homeless people is a provincial government responsibility.
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