Over 100 people gathered at Saskatoon City Hall today to take part in the Walk to Support Truth and Reconciliation Against Homelessness.
The sea of orange shirts traveled up 22nd Street to the Emergency Wellness Centre in Fairhaven, a facility that has been raising concern some Saskatoon residents since it was first established in 2022.
STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand agrees that there is a problem in the Fairhaven neighborhood as a result of the EWC being implemented, but the need for the shelter is too great to close it down. He is open to the police having an office in the building to help the neighborhood deal with the crime.
One of the participants walking to generate awareness and show support for the STC’s efforts to combat homelessness, Dory Cook, says spaces like those at the EWC are essential in getting people off of the streets.
“My heart just breaks when I see my relatives lying there. They haven’t got anything to cover up with. It’s a shame that that has to happen in our society,” Cook sighed.
She adds that she supports the efforts that the STC is making to mitigate the homelessness problem.
“There’s nothing wrong with it (the EWC) being there. These people go there to sleep, they go there to eat. I haven’t heard of any brawls or anything going on there.”
Arcand says the wellness centre is greatly needed, as right now there are 10 families and 30 children living there. He hopes the federal government considers investing in the STC to further combat homelessness in Saskatoon. To those that believe it should be closed down, he advises them to “come into our circle and come and see what our people are about and how we help.”
“We’re helping the people that don’t have a voice have a voice by speaking up for them to say they need supports. At the Saskatoon Tribal Council, we’re providing supports. We’re providing outcomes and results. We’re housing families. We have paramedics on site every day. We have social services in our facility. We’re making a difference and I think people have to embrace that, ” Arcand encourages.
He adds that the EWC, the Salvation Army, and the warmup shelter are all reaching maximum capacity, and he encourages more organizations to join the fight against homelessness in Saskatoon.
