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

A group of nine community leaders will spend the next 36 hours experiencing Saskatoon through the eyes of a homeless person.

Katelyn Roberts is the Executive Director of Sanctum Care Group, the organization that hosts this annual challenge. She says the goal of the event is to raise awareness, generate empathy, and spark dialogue about the struggles that Saskatoon’s homeless population faces every day.

“As an organization that works very closely with this population, we would never try to even attempt what true homelessness is, that is not the goal. Rather, it is to amplify the voices of our homeless population through well-known community leaders,” Roberts explains.

The crew, which includes the city’s mayor, Cynthia Block, and Saskatoon Police Chief Cam McBride, will complete a series of tasks, developed by people with lived experience, that mimic the obstacles one might go through if they don’t have an address, identification, or a cell phone.

“We have them experience going to look at a housing listing that meets the financial threshold of income assistance at $659. For the average person, it might not seem like a big deal, but when you don’t have a phone and you have to get everywhere by foot, it can be challenging.”

The participants will be stripped of even their shoes, carrying only their cell phones as a means of streaming their experiences with online viewers.

A camera crew will follow the participants until 6:00pm on Friday, compiling a documentary-style film that will be shown on Saturday at a fundraising dinner at TCU Place. The follow-up event will also include panel discussion with participants to review their experience and brainstorm ways to improve the lives of Saskatoon’s homeless population.