Sask. opening two seasonal drop-in shelters for Saskatoon's homeless community

CTV News

10-06-2025

WATCH: Saskatoon councillors got an update on the long search for a location for a permanent 60-bed homeless shelter.
WATCH: Saskatoon councillors got an update on the long search for a location for a permanent 60-bed homeless shelter.
Two new drop-in centres are opening in Saskatoon to give homeless people a safe place to stay.
The provincial government, the City of Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Tribal Council combined to announce the opening of a daytime drop-in centre and an overnight drop-in centre by the beginning of next week.
'We know that all the shelters are maxed out currently. So, this will be a good opportunity in this area to really help people … in a safe place during the day,' STC Chief Mark Arcand said.
Station 20 West will host the daytime drop-in centre from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., where access to support services will be available. The STC's Sawēyihtotān project will offer outreach services, which include connections to housing, coordinated access systems and recovery and mental health programs.
Both locations will be open for the next four months. Arcand says Station 20 will be able to accommodate up to 40 people to start, and White Buffalo will be able to accommodate 20 people when it opens on either Sunday or Monday.
Arcand, the city and the province feel Station 20's ability connect people with the services they need, which can be tough to navigate on their own, while having the support and transportation of Sawēyihtotān, is what gives them confidence in seeing results from these temporary spaces.
'Location is key,' Arcand said. 'People say not in my backyard. Well, this board has actually said 'yeah, put it here. It's a need.''
'The ability to have more folks willing to come in, check it out, and be a part of at least exploring what access to services might look like will be strengthened because it's being led by the Saskatoon Tribal Council,' Mayor Cynthia Block said.
These spaces are designated to give people a place to stay during the summer months after two similar winter overnight warming shelters, one at the Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre and the other run by the Salvation Army at St. Mary's Parish, closed on March 31.
For children 16 and older, Arcand says White Buffalo will be there to keep kids safe who might be fleeing home for a variety of reasons and need somewhere to be. He said there isn't an age cap, but people in their mid-20s might be referred somewhere else. Staff will call provincial social services for anyone younger than 16.
Block said while a 24-hour drop-in centre would be ideal, the hub model being presented and the data STC will gather from people walking through the doors will be vital to forming the next steps.
'Each person is their own individual. They've all got their individual stories; they've all got their individual backgrounds and it's up to us to be able to work with each of those individuals to identify the barriers that they may have, and then to overcome those barriers,' Minister of Social Services Terry Jenson said.
Neither Jenson, nor Block, had a concrete update on the search for a permanent shelter. Jenson said Prince Albert city council approved a location for its permanent shelter Monday evening, and Regina's permanent shelter is set to open later this summer.
Block said more than 100 sites have been searched. Jenson reiterated while it's the province's responsibility to run shelters, it's the city's responsibility to find a suitable location.