Facing Winter: A Saskatoon Morning series about homelessness in the city
Some people who work with the city's most vulnerable people say its the worst crisis they have seen
The first snow has arrived in Saskatoon and temperatures will continue to drop over the next months. That's a problem for everyone who doesn't have a place to call home, and for those scrambling to make sure there's housing for everyone.
About 550 people were experiencing homelessness in Saskatoon at the end of April 2022, according to the Saskatoon Community Foundation's Vital Focus on Homelessness in Saskatoon report.
Sixteen people died of hypothermia or exposure across the province in 2022-23, with drugs or alcohol playing a contributing factor in most cases, according to preliminary data from the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.
Some people who have worked with the city's most vulnerable residents for decades say the crisis is the worst they have ever seen.
CBC's Saskatoon Morning team has been talking with people affected by homelessness and those trying to make a difference.
Facing Winter, Part 1: Edwards Manor
CBC's Danny Kerslake spoke with staff and a resident at Edwards Manor, an apartment building and harm reduction facility that houses chronically homeless people who have addictions and mental health issues. Amanda Kolinsky said she was homeless herself before becoming the administrative supervisor of Edwards Manor.
Facing Winter, Part 2: Prairie Harm Reduction
Saskatoon Morning host Leisha Grebinski stopped by Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon's Riversdale neighbourhood to talk about the people it serves and why the organization extended the hours for its safe consumption site over the winter months.
"We've seen an increase of complex overdoses in the evening that staff in the drop-in have been having to attend to outside," said Kayla DeMong, executive director at Prairie Harm Reduction.
Facing Winter, Part 3: Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre
Oct. 16 was World Food Day, first established in 1945 by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization to raise awareness of world hunger and poverty, and to look for solutions. But people don't need to travel around the world to witness hunger. It's prevalent right here in the city.
The Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre has seen an increase in clients, some of them coming for the first time, said Laurie O'Connor, the CEO of the organization.
Facing Winter, Part 4: EGADZ
The Saskatoon downtown youth centre EGADZ has been one of the organizations in the city opening its doors in the winter as warm-up locations. EGADZ offers services for young people including school support, a drop-in centre, street outreach and housing programs.
CBC's Theresa Kliem met with Don Meikle, the organization's executive director. He said he can't believe how bad the drug situation is in Saskatoon, and how many people are homeless in the city.
Facing Winter, Part 5: Salvation Army
The Salvation Army runs its Crossroads Emergency Shelter in downtown Saskatoon for people who identify as male. The shelter is open 24 hours and has 75 beds for people in need of a warm place to sleep.
The organization has been seeing a daily increase in people accessing its services, including the shelter and the emergency after hours program, said the Salvation Army's Roger Yenkins. Staff at the shelter have also noticed an increase in frustration and hopelessness, he said.
Facing Winter, Part 6: Chokecherry Studios
Homelessness has no age brackets. Almost 43 per cent of the people reported as homeless in April last year first experienced homelessness as youth, according to the Saskatoon Community Foundation's Vital Focus on Homelessness in Saskatoon report.
Chokecherry Studios is a non-profit art-centred organization founded by youth that recently moved to a new location. It provides people under 29 in Saskatoon a place to unwind, eat and warm up. Many of the young people who come through the doors face multiple barriers, according to executive director Andrea Cessna.
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