
City re-groups for temporary shelter location
At a special council meeting on Tuesday evening, about 30 interested members of local sports groups, residents and the Exhibition Association listened closely as councillors talked about the idea of turning the Dave Steuart Arena into a temporary homeless shelter.
Mayor Bill Powalinsky admitted afterward the situation has become a little chaotic as the city faces multiple decisions that have all become intertwined very recently; two involve homeless shelters and the other is the future use of the aged Steuart Arena. The most immediate concern is the shelter.
“First off, the current provider (YWCA) said that they would not operate beyond May 15th in the current facility and that caused council and administration to quickly cast about saying, OK, where do we go for the next year and a half, two years? We still made it a temporary shelter… in the meantime, from what I understand, talking to Sask Housing is that there’s no contract in place at the moment, and Sask. Housing is looking for a new provider,” he said.
The YWCA has operated the temporary Stepping Stones Shelter under the grandstand on the Exhibition Association’s grounds for the last four years. They have now given notice that they will no longer do so after May 15 and will instead focus on their current services at the YWCA Our House shelter for women and children.