Saskatoon Tribal Council’s Tribal Chief says they are seeing an influx of requests to stay at the Emergency Wellness Centre because it’s getting colder outside, and the cost of living keeps rising. Mark Arcand notes that on Saturday, October 1st, an extra 30 people were outside waiting to get in, but they were at maximum capacity.

Arcand says hat the last survey conducted in Saskatoon showed around 550 people are homeless. The Wellness Centre has 75 beds and Arcand estimates there are about one hundred beds in other locations. If you do the math, that means a lot of people without a place to stay.

The STC’s search for a permanent home for the Emergency Wellness Centre continues, and Arcand hopes that there will be more information on that in the next month or so. He expects the permanent location will be able to house about 100 people.