Saskatoon’s Ward 3 City Councillor has sent a letter to the provincial government calling for a review of the Emergency Wellness Centre, which is in the Fairhaven neighbourhood which David Kirton represents. He is also calling for funding for facilities to help people with complex addiction and mental health needs and the elimination of the Saskatchewan Income Support Program.
In his letter Kirton states, “Over these past months however, the Wellness Centre has had a greater impact on Fairhaven and the Confederation Suburban Centre than anybody ever expected. That impact has affected schools, residents and services in the area.”
Kirton says the Saskatoon Tribal Council is doing the best they can, but residents in the area have been witnessing people with complex needs that need more support. He is proposing a Working Group to include representatives from the province, the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Police and Fire and the Saskatoon Tribal Council among others.
Kirton believes the answer is smaller facilities throughout the city for the estimated 100 people in Saskatoon who have complex needs. He notes that what he hears from most agencies in Saskatoon is that these 100 people choose not to stay in a shelter, cannot get a bed in a shelter or are getting kicked out.
As well, because people in shelters need to be rehoused, to reduce barriers Kirton would like the government to re-instate its original Saskatchewan Assistance Program. He explains that the existing Saskatchewan Income Support program doesn’t allow direct payments to landlords and doesn’t guarantee utility payments, which Kirton believes actually creates more homelessness.
