Saskatoon’s new temporary shelter is officially open at 210 Pacific Ave., the same day the city’s two warming shelters have closed for the season.
This week, temperatures are still dropping down to the mid minus teens, leaving some in the community no place to go overnight with the two shelters closing.
In a statement, the city of Saskatoon said, “The Saskatoon Winter Emergency Response Plan is a multiagency collaboration to ensure everyone has access to a safe location during the winter months. Ideally, the warming locations would have stayed open longer to accommodate unpredictable early spring weather conditions.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“However, the period in which warming locations are able to operate is based on how much funding is received. The funding for the 2024-2025 winter season supported operation of overnight warming shelters and other outreach services from December 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025.
“A report to City Council in November 2024 outlined the Winter Emergency Response Plan for the 2024-2025 winter season. A variety of community partners contributed to funding the plan, with the City of Saskatoon contributing $200,000 to the total funding requirement of $1.2 million.”
The Pacific Ave. shelter is open 24 hours a day and will accommodate up to 40 beds. The operator, Mustard Seed, says the shelter is first come, first serve.
Read the full article here
