Saskatoon city council approves new downtown shelter

In its last meeting before the approaching civic election, Saskatoon city council voted to move ahead with a proposed downtown shelter.

Council voted 7-4 in favour of the shelter, to be located at 210 Pacific Ave. It is planned to have 30 to 40 beds and offer 24-hour access and three meals a day to clients, along with support for addictions, mental health and wellness, and services to help them transition to long-term housing.

It will be run by the Mustard Seed, a faith-based organization that runs similar facilities in other cities.

Samantha Lowe, city director for Mustard Seed, said most of its other facilities operate in residential areas and downtown cores.

"We are here to provide dignified care to the unhoused population we serve," she said. 

The site is meant for "temporary use for up to 18 months" and require $250,000 for renovations, with the funding coming from Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, the city says. 

The city says the immediate next steps will be to begin renovations and hire staff with targeted opening before Jan. 1, 2025.

Last week, the city announced increased safety plans for the shelter, drawing mixed reactions from community members.

Council heard from 10 speakers on the topic before voting, with eight of them voicing opposition.

Andrea Calow, co-owner of Second Act, a dancewear business and dance studio across from the shelter site, was the first presenter Wednesday. She said the facility is visited by 1,000 kids a month.

"We're concerned about their safety and exposure to drug paraphernalia,"she told the council.

While happy about the increased safety measures, Calow said there are concerns about "significant changes" coming to the neighborhood.

She said being a private dance school, it is excluded from the 250-meter buffer zone preventing shelters from being built near elementary school. She said she is particularly concerned about the hours of 4 to 10 p.m. and asked if the city's extended security measures would cover that period.

The city said it hasn't determined what the extended security hours would entail.