The Current - Helping the homeless in Saskatoon’s harsh winter

Episode Date: November 26, 2024

Saskatoon’s harsh winters are particularly difficult for the city’s homeless population. We meet some of the people grappling with how to help, from providing life-saving shelter to finding lasting solutions that get people back on their feet. 

In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news, so I started a podcast called On Drugs. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with Season 3 of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal. I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy.

On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. Hello, I'm Matt Galloway, and this is The Current Podcast. You can feel the bite of winter on this sunny morning. Here on 20th Street, people are gathering. It's at a drop-in centre called The Bridge, looking for a place to warm up. And that is where we meet Terrence. Tell us how you're doing on a cold morning like this morning. Tired, cold, confused.

Where are you trying to stay warm? Any shelter that's open. And what's the situation? Are there shelters that are open here? Yeah, there's three of them that are open and they're all full. And so when they're full, where do you go? Wherever you can find warmth. Any, you know, bank that's open with front doors or any, you know, any place that's got a bathroom you can get into for an hour. Do you worry about finding a space?

Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And there's really, like, it's really hard to find housing right now. You know, it's just too, beyond a lot of people's reach, you know, like for rent and stuff and down payment, you got to, you know, you know, it's like, it's crazy, you know. What do you think should be done about it? We're going to talk to the mayor about this. What do you think she could do about this? I think you should do just a couple, open more shelters.

You know, like I think last year there was somebody saying there was like 280-some homeless, and I hear this year it's over 480. It's just a warm centre, you know, to go and have a coffee and warm up, and I don't understand why there isn't more of that here. How long have you been out? Well, my wife passed away about two years ago, and I lost my job about a year ago. I'm 66 now, so about a year living on the street. It's hard. It's really hard.

It might each find a job or anything. What would you hope for? I mean, if I were to talk to you in a year or so, where would you want to be? In my own place, you know, so I can have my son visit me, my granddaughter come visit me. Yeah, you know, that'd be it. Affordable housing, that's what we need, really. So what happens in the bridge here?

Are you able to get in and get warm in there? You can come in here and get warm. They'll serve you a breakfast, you know, have a coffee. Sometimes they handle clothes. It's a nice little warm-up center. Take care of yourself. You too. Thank you very much. It's good to talk to you. Stay warm. Inside, it's busy. People are drinking coffee and waiting for their number to be called so they can pick up fresh clothing and get a hot shower. Hi, my name is Linda Walker, and I'm the founding executive director here at the Bridge on 20th.

Tell us where we're standing right now. We're standing in what we call the floor, which is the main room where people eat, where they visit, where they receive prayer, where they tell us where they're at. Our vision and purpose here is to meet the people where they receive prayer, where they tell us where they're at. Our vision and purpose here is to meet the people where they're at, accept them as they are, and for God's body to share his unconditional love. And so that's what we get to do here in many practical ways as well as spiritual ways.

What are you able to offer people on a morning like today when, I mean, it's sunny and bright, but it's really cold outside? Yeah, a warm, safe place to come. Over and over, people report to us that they come here because it's safe. And they get a free meal. They can visit our free store. They can have a shower. How stretched are the resources in this city to deal with the crisis that we're seeing right now?

Well, the biggest crisis is having no shelters in the evenings. So where do these folks go when you close? Lots of them go into vestibules of banks or under stairwells or to a friend's, a lot of couch surfing and staying in overcrowded housing. It's just the beginning of winter. What are you most worried about this year? Well, the cold and how that's going to affect our friends. I guess we're most concerned about lives.

The people are going to die being outside. It isn't a common thing in our city, but it is a possibility. And not to mention that it's just inhumane. What do we as a society need to do to address this? This is a crisis that people see across the country and it's getting worse. What do we need to do about it? Well, we believe that we're blessed to be a blessing. And I think many of us have way too much and lots of us have way too little. Thank you very much. The growing number of people who are homeless in this weather

is putting pressure on the nearby hospital. A little different for you guys coming from the east. I'm meeting Melissa McGilvery outside the emergency department in the core where she works as a psychiatric nurse. Melissa, good morning. Good morning. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you as well.

When it gets this cold, I mean, it's beautiful, the sun's up, but it's really, like I was saying, it's really scary for people who are out on the streets. We've seen a lot of folks who are living rough. When it gets this cold for you, what are you thinking about and who are you thinking about? It's actually kind of terrifying. We had people lose fingers, toes, limbs last year. Frostbite has already been a problem in our department. We have people who virtually live in the emergency room every night

because they have nowhere else to be. We have people in wheelchairs and with walkers who are homeless who are trying to navigate through this snow and then add on the fact it's minus 25. What worries you the most about this? That we're not helping people and that we're forcing people to suffer needlessly. This is a preventable problem.

We know this is happening every year in Saskatchewan. This is not a new problem. And I've been working in Emerge for 10 years and it's just been getting worse every year. A preventable problem. I think so. I think so. I think that if we looked at beefing up transitional housing for people and we actually supported them

and then also set obligations so that, you know, they were able to succeed in the and we actually supported them. And then also set obligations so that, you know, they were able to succeed in the housing we put them in. Shelters aren't a solution. They're just a, should be a stopgap measure. It's like food banks. We shouldn't need food banks. I mean, if it's a preventable problem and you understand that, and the people who are working on the front level understand that right at the edge of it, and yet this still happens. And on a cold morning like today, coming over here, we saw some of those folks who are in wheelchairs, who are trying to bust their way through a snow bank to get somewhere. Why isn't it being dealt with? What's the barrier to addressing that preventable problem? I don't know. I think there's a lot of disconnect. I think there needs to be

more talking to people on the front lines who have the effective solutions. I think there needs to be, I mean, I'm not a big fan of government oversight, but I do think there needs to be someone coordinating services because we have a lot of replication of services. You know, you look at people donate money to the charitable organizations that are flashy, that are sexy, that have the great ad campaigns. But we don't always know that that's the organization that's doing the real work at the grassroots level. And so I think, you know, we need more coordination, more oversight, and we need people talking to those at the front line who actually know what will work for these people. One of the other people we'll be speaking with is the new mayor, who has said multiple times her top priority is to deal with homelessness. What do you want from her?

Well, I am very involved with Saskatoon District Labour Council. We've had many conversations with Cynthia Block, and I believe that she is invested in addressing this problem. And I believe that, you know, she is invested in addressing this problem. I just hope she has the support of city council and that she has the support of organizations in the community and the provincial government and the federal government to actually make it happen. Are you optimistic? There's a lot of, I mean, it's a cliche, but there's a lot of energy in this town. And people are invested in their place. Are you confident that that energy and that investment will make a meaningful dent in a crisis like this? I think people in Saskatchewan care.

I mean, you can't survive in a rough climate like this one if you don't care about your neighbour. And so I think we just need to get back to the grassroots. And I think fundamentally people want to help one another. They just need to figure out how to work together and be effective with it. And especially because the people who are staying in our emerge at night, and be effective with it. And especially because, like, the people who are staying in our emerge at night, like, I mean, they're exposed to violence.

And you shouldn't live in a hospital, and you shouldn't be in a hospital unless you're sick. It's good of you to come outside and talk about this. I mean, we could have done it inside, but I think it speaks to the urgency of the issue. And we're standing here in the snow, in the cold, talking about this. Thank you very much. Well, thanks for taking the time to take a stop in Saskatoon and listen to what people have to say. And yeah, stay warm this week.

The issue of homelessness was a major issue in the recent city election here in Saskatoon. Robert Pierce is a local pastor, and he won a seat on council on a campaign to move a 106-bed shelter out of his residential neighbourhood and to change the way this city responds to homelessness. My name is Robert Pierce. I am a city councillor of Saskatoon and I am also a pastor at Fairmont Baptist Church. What does homelessness and the homelessness crisis look like in your neighbourhood? A little under two years ago, a 106 bed shelter was opened in our residential community. What it's done is it's really changed the character of our community. We have a lot of people that do care about the homeless. I see them all the time helping people out.

But at the end of the day, it's the crime and the encampments and all the things that come with that that have really changed our community in such devastating ways. You've seen this personally. You wrote a long letter that was posted on social media about the crisis, but also what did you call it, a harrowing experience that you had? You wrote a long letter that was posted on social media about the crisis, but also, what did you call it, a harrowing experience that you had? Well, I've had some, yeah. I've had about seven forceful attempted entries to our church.

We have had to lock our doors 24-7. And that's not to keep people out. That's so that we can control the engagement. You campaigned in part to have that shelter, if not moved, then closed, right? Well, you know what, there's a big discrepancy. The press loves to take some of my statements and twist them a bit. I called for the closure because I want something better to replace it, in a better location.

Like a residential community is not the place for a first-come, first-served homeless shelter. But you want that shelter in that community to be closed. That's accurate to say. I want it relocated first. I want it safely and responsibly relocated. I don't want people shuttered out from the services that they receive. I want them to get better services. And the problem is in our community, we are not able to provide those services just by the community makeup that we are. What does that mean, that you're not able to provide the services? Well, in other words, when the open house occurred for this shelter,

we walked in and in the lobby there was long rows of displays of wraparound services that was for those who were poor, those who were addicted, alcohol, you name it. All sorts of great wraparound services. And the impression we were left is all those would be delivered in that shelter. And so unfortunately, we're left with a case where that's not what was delivered. Now, there are a couple of services provided out of there, and I know that the STC does their best. I've spoken with Chief Arkana a number of times. But it's just not being delivered the way it should be.

And I'm not sure that a residential community is the best place because this is where we live, right? This isn't like we go to work and then we go home. We have a couple of people who do social work, for instance, and their biggest complaint is not only do they get to go to work and deal with it all day, but then they come home and deal with it all night. Where is a better place for that shelter to be located? Well, you know, and that's a great question. And I don't have an immediate answer. One of my first questions that I'm going to be bringing to one of our first council meetings is to ask for a zoning map that shows all the locations where shelters are actually zoned. The building where this shelter is in Fairhaven is not zoned for a shelter. But there are, I mean, the city's filled with residential

neighbourhoods. People live all over the place. So if it's not your residential neighbourhood, would it be another residential neighbourhood? No. I'm just trying to understand where... Well, I went in great detail, and I don't know how much time you have, but basically what I've been proposing to the province for, it's got to be 16 months now, is there's different classifications of the homeless population that I've experienced. classifications of the homeless population that I've experienced. One is complex needs. And complex needs are people with severe addictions, severe untreated mental illness, all combined together. And they're the ones who are mostly volatile, potentially violent. They're the people who are yelling at people for no reason or whatever. They do need long-term treatment facilities to help them. And that is one of the things I've been advocating for.

The second thing I've been advocating for is more transitional housing. Because to me, that's a bigger piece. We have a lot of newly homeless people in the last year that if they actually had a place where they could stay for 3 to 12 months, get the support they need, get the wraparound services for counselling, better income support, like the SIS program definitely needs to be revamped, which is another thing we've been advocating for. So there's a lot of solutions that need to come from the provincial side of things,

especially to support people better. When people call actions like the ones that you're talking about, nimbyism, not in my backyard, you smile as I say that. What is your reaction? Well, you know... Because that's been levied at you. Well, it's been levied. It's not true.

I mean, I want to see people get the help that they need. But not in your neighbourhood. Well, you know what? Here's the thing. If it was transitional housing where people want help, if people are getting the services, the beds are assigned, that would work in a residential community. Transitional housing could work very easily.

A first-come, first-served shelter, emergency shelter, won't, because where we have 106 beds, when those beds are full, there's potentially 200 to 300 homeless people in our community looking for a bed. Because they come trying to find a bed. Exactly. So that's the problem, right? It doesn't work in a residential community, because then you're stacking people into that community and that community can't support that. It attracts crime because the gangs come in, the drug dealing comes in, right?

And then it becomes a territory that needs to be defended. What needs to be done to address this? There's long-term concerns, but right now, winter's just starting. Yeah. Well, my understanding is the city has already found locations for cold weather shelters. I think it's about 200 beds that they have ready to go. But I think come spring, we need to start looking at next winter and making sure we have better solutions, things lined up well in advance. I know the city's been trying. I know they've been at this for a number of months.

It's just hard to do at this point. And I don't know why. And we need to find out why. I'm really glad to have the chance to talk to you. This is important. Thank you. Well, it is. It's very important. And trust me, I want to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem. In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news. So I started a podcast called On Drugs. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with season three of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal.

I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy. On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. Shirley? That's Shirley. Hi, I'm Matt. Hi, Matt. How are you?

I'm good, thank you. Nice to meet you. Another organization working to help people in need is the Central Urban Métis Federation, or COMFI. I met up with Shirley Eisbister, COMFI's president. At the Round Prairie Elders Lodge. It's a space that provides affordable housing for dozens of Métis seniors. What does this place mean to you? It means comfort. You know, we always envisioned it to become a Métis community, so that, just like we used to have, the communities where people came together.

In this home, we have 30 Métis elders and you're sitting in the gathering room here and they do many activities in here. They have a jam session. J.J. LaVallee comes in and they sing and play different instruments and dance and they just have a really good time. So it's a place where we hope that our elders feel secure and have a nice place to live. What does it mean for you personally to have a place like that, where, as you said, elders can be together and feel secure?

The Elders Lodge has been a dream, a vision, whatever you want to call it, for well over 20 years before we finally were able to get all of the dollars together to be able to build the lodge. You know, for years I would be telling the elders, one day we're going to have it, one day we're going to be able to open it. And I'm a person who believes that when the time is right, Creator puts the right people together. And that's pretty well happened in all of the projects that Comfy's done.

Work like this is important, but it's unusual in some ways, too. It doesn't happen perhaps as often as it needs to. And the effect of that, to your point, is that sometimes those elders don't have a safe place to go. What's the urgency to this kind of work, do you think? Well, there's always an urgency to not only housing the elders, but homes for our youth and for the people who are living on the street, which is, at this

time of year, is really hard to do. Your concern is always is someone going to freeze to death? Because we have vehicles in Saskatoon that go around picking people up, that transport them to warm-up stations, to shelters. There's hotels for people who need to be in them. But you can't be on every side street. What is it about that work that drives you to do it? I have a passion for my community and for our Métis people. You say this with a smile on your face.

Yeah, I do. And I know that. I was raised as a caregiver, and I still am a caregiver. You know, my history and growing up, you know, we had dysfunction in our family. And there was times where my mom and eight of us slept along the riverbank. You know, there's addiction in my family. Those are things that motivate me. It's a special place.

Thank you for taking us here. I appreciate it. Okay, thank you. Welcome over. Now we can come over here. Well, I was the first residence in here. So I've been living here for, well, it'll be three years now. Marlene Conron is one of the elders who lives here.

We've been waiting for a place like this all our lives, eh? So at least 20 years for me, and I always thought, oh, maybe I'll have my foot in the door. And I did. I finally made it here. So, yeah, we have a really lot of activities here and everything. You can never be lonesome here. There's lots of really good people that are living in here right now. So yes. Where were you living before you came here? A couple of times I was homeless and I was living at my daughter's the last time, yes,

before I moved in here. And so having a place like this, having been homeless, what did that, did you ever imagine that you would have something like this? No, never. Always wanted it, but never imagined it. Yes. That day that you moved in, what do you remember about that? Oh, it was just so exciting. It was very, very exciting for me. And the place is so beautiful, right? You know, it should have been a long time ago too, not just now. But I always feel guilty because living in this area, and I go when I'm driving around, and I drive around, and I see all the homeless people.

I feel so guilty having a beautiful home and everything, a place to live in, and then they have nothing, and they're laying on the street, and it just brings tears to my eyes. They would love to move in here too, so there should be more. Yes. Thank you. The Round Prairie Elders Lodge was built by a Saskatoon company, Big Block Construction. Just last week, they were putting together a new multifamily development in the northeast part of the city. Oh, this is Lego for grown-ups.

This is absolutely Lego for grown-ups. I love it. I loved building things when I was young. I love it. I loved building things when I was young. And to be able to bring that excitement and innovation, that advanced construction methods, to a very archaic way that we build is exciting. It's pretty neat the way Big Block works.

They build individual apartments in a factory, and they hoist each module up using a giant crane. You know, we live in a housing crisis, we live in a productivity crisis, but when you watch something like this happen, you kind of ask, why isn't this being done everywhere in Canada? I love this, and I haven't lost it over all the years of doing this,

is the aspect that this day has, the impact on the neighbourhood, where we start with an open foundation, people go for work in the morning, they come home, and there's a full three-storey building. Where'd that come from? For more CBC Podcasts, work in the morning, they come home and there's a full three-story building. Where'd that come from?

For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.