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By Nigel Maxwell

Social challenges

City mayors commit to work on addressing homeless crisis

Sep 3, 2020 | 3:21 PM

Recognizing the social challenges related to homelessness will only increase the longer the COVID-19 pandemic is around, the mayors of Prince Albert, Saskatoon and North Battleford have teamed up to help mitigate the situation.

They’ve now jointly asked the provincial government for some extra money toward services. Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne told paNOW that while the cities have different populations, their problems are similar.

“We need more mental health people on the street. I suggested the province could even fund mobile crisis and the outreach program so they could be out there longer hours,” he said.

Dionne explained the already tough social challenge has been further complicated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; and people who are suffering from mental health related concerns have not had access to the services they require.

“We are gonna take it head on and we are going after the minister because it’s really not our problem. Mental health and housing are really provincial and federal [responsibilities],” Dionne said, adding he also suggested to the mayors they meet with their First Nations partners as well as the federal government.

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“The federal government has made quite a bit of funding available for First Nations to fight COVID-19. Well we would like access to some of that funding because it’s been directed to reserves and we deal with a lot of off reserve,” he said.

With temperatures now beginning to drop, Dionne says the social challenges could further increase, and he stressed fears around possibility of people freezing to death.

For that reason the city is working to secure a location for a winter shelter which would include onsite medical and mental health staff. Dionne hinted a formal announcement is expected in the coming weeks.

The fence at the Margo Fournier Centre

Last March, a large red fence was erected outside the Margo Fournier Centre. City Manager Jim Toye explained to paNOW at the time the measure was taken to address ongoing concerns with loitering and needles, as well as to help protect the safety of staff and users of the building. Nearly four weeks later, Dionne said the fence has worked.

“In a normal couple days, before we’d cut the grass, we’d pick up an average of 100 needles and caps and the things given away related to drug abuse. Since we’ve put the fence up, it’s dropped to four or five,” he said.

Opponents of the fence have said the city was wrong to put it up and suggested it was a ‘Band-Aid’ solution. Dionne said he agreed with that statement, and added the fence was never intended to be a permanent solution.

“Short term it absolutely is a solution, long term it’s not but this sort of just landed on us cause of COVID-19 and listening to the other mayors I have a minor problem compared to what they are struggling with,” he said

Response from the front line workers

The Riverbank Development Corporation in Prince Albert helps provides affordable housing in the city, and has also more recently been very involved with the plans for the winter shelter. General Manager Brian Howell said on an average winter day in Prince Albert there are about 150 people on the street or in various shelters.

“I do think for Prince Albert one of the longer term solutions would be a year-round shelter that would get people off the street and get them in to an environment where they can meet with people and work on their issues and get some medical attention,” he said.

Howell acknowledged the city does have emergency shelters but added they lack the capacity to deal with the number of people on the street during the summer.

Howell said he thought the province is doing a good job dealing with COVID, but said he had serious concerns what would happen if the coronavirus ever got a bigger foothold. He explained in the areas of the country where there have been serious outbreaks, it’s been in the lower income areas where there are smaller houses and bigger families.

“Prince Albert has a substantial population living below the poverty line and so there are lots of people in crowding situations. If COVID ever gets established here, it’s going to be a real big disaster,” he said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell