The building of the shelter is located at 105 3rd Avenue East in Meadow Lake. (Meadow Lake Homeplate Shelter Coalition Corp./Facebook)

By Kenneth Cheung

FUNDING CRUNCH

‘We should not be begging for money’: Meadow Lake shelter faces uncertainty despite reopening

Aug 29, 2025 | 11:10 AM

A Meadow Lake shelter for people experiencing homelessness will reopen Sept. 1, but organizers say they don’t know how long it can stay open without firm funding commitments from local governments and partners.

Delton Sylvain, who is the manager of the Home Plate Shelter Coalition Corp., said he and the board of directors have already met with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC), the City of Meadow Lake and Flying Dust First Nation to request support.

“We are still waiting to hear what’s going to happen in that sense.”

He said the shelter could only operate for “a few months” with the money already on hand, leaving staff uncertain about how long they can keep the doors open.

“The part that really makes me feel very disappointed and also frustrated is the fact that we have to beg for money for something that is very fundamental, which is shelter,” he said.

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“Shelters have a lot to do with people’s, you know, wellbeing, mental health, their sense of belonging … and it just brings stability in someone’s life.”

Inside the shelter. (Meadow Lake Homeplate Shelter Coalition Corp./Facebook)

Inside the shelter. (Meadow Lake Homeplate Shelter Coalition Corp./Facebook)

Sylvain said he believes municipal and Indigenous governments should set aside money for the shelter each year so that volunteers don’t have to keep fundraising.

“All the board of directors, they don’t get paid at all. They’re volunteers, And they are just coming up with ideas and how to raise money and stuff like that,” he said.

“We should not be begging for money… it’s very embarrassing.”

The shelter has a capacity for up to 17 people and also offers laundry, showers, meals, crafts, intake support and help with paperwork such as driver’s licences.

Sylvain said the need in Meadow Lake is high, with more than 50 people considered homeless when couch-surfing and transitional housing situations are included. He warned that homelessness in northern communities can be more dangerous than in big cities, especially in winter.

“The risk of losing their life is higher than, for example, P.A., Saskatoon, you know, Regina, like they’re big centers,” he said.

“Let’s say you can go to Canadian Tire, you can get into Walmart. Like, there are so many ways and how a homeless person can, let’s say, survive in the bigger centers versus here.”

Despite limited government support so far, the shelter has received donations and discounts from Meadow Lake Home Hardware, the local Co-op and individual residents, which Sylvain said he is very thankful for.

“We need your help. We need your encouragement. We need your prayers,” he said.

meadowlakeNOW have reached out to the City of Meadow Lake, MLTC and Flying Dust First Nation for comment on the funding situation, but has not yet received responses.

Anyone wishing to donate to the shelter can do so in person or by contacting Sylvain at 306-234-2300 or Delton@mlom.ca.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com