"Homeless by a Wall" by garryknight is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Results of the most recent Point in Time Homelessness Count indicate there are a minimum of 1931 people in Saskatoon without a home, up from 1499 last year.

 The count was conducted in October. Director of Planning and Development Lesley Anderson explains that the results were, unfortunately, not surprising. However, they do give Administration an idea of what resources will need to be available.  

“For example, this year for winter warming we’re more likely to see more people every night than we saw in previous years. It does help us understand what those needs are going to be, and to try and accommodate that within policy and planning work that we’re doing.”

Although discouraging, the heightened PiT count results will also play a role in securing funding from higher levels of government.   

“It’s one thing that helps us formulate asks to the provincial and federal government. It is something that we put together for background.”

A comprehensive report with all of the data collected from the 2025 PiT Count will be released in early 2026. She expects the number of unhoused children to be relatively high, similar to the 315 counted last year.  

Work is currently underway on getting a homeless shelter up and running on Avenue C near the Salvation Army. Anderson says it should be open within the next few weeks. The Province is also working on a design concept for the future shelter beside Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre.