City, STC step up safety measures around shelter
City council went over details of a plan to improve safety and cleanliness in the area around the Saskatoon Tribal Council's downtown emergency wellness centre during its Tuesday meeting.
The 75-bed facility is housed in a city-owned building on First Avenue North, leased this winter to provide emergency space for people with nowhere to sleep in the cold. Police Chief Troy Cooper told council the number of calls to police regarding the block where the wellness centre was set up has increased more than tenfold, from 37 to 432 year-over-year after the shelter opened.
More than 90 per cent of the complaints were about issues arising on the streets outside the building, he said.
“Generally, they're not criminal in nature. They're social disorder and mental health-type calls that are very challenging, of course, for the police to deal with.”
Cooper said these types of calls tend to be concentrated around any site that provides social services, adding that in his conversations with other police services, it's clear the issues of homelessness, poverty, addiction and mental health playing out in Saskatoon's core area are common to downtowns across Western Canada.
While police officers aren't the best people to send to many of these calls, alternate responses, such as alternative response officers and members of the tribal council's housing outreach program, have proven effective, he said, adding that the addition of “peacekeepers” at the wellness centre caused call volumes to drop by half. The peacekeepers routinely patrol the building's perimeter to prevent nuisance behaviour.
Fire Chief Morgan Hackl told council his department will help co-ordinate regular meetings between city staff, tribal council leaders and owners of surrounding businesses. This will include a single point of contact to address complaints, and efforts to “check in” regularly with neighbours, he
The tribal council has committed to increasing the number of peacekeepers available at any one time from two to five, and adding a maintenance person, Hackl said, adding that the STC has also purchased equipment like squeegees and a pressure washer for cleanup around the building.
The STC refers to the people who stay at the wellness centre as “relatives,” and has hired many of them to work as cleaning staff, he continued.
City staff are expected to increase things like garbage collection in the area in order to help with cleanliness, Hackl added, noting that the city's expenses for this are not expected to exceed $20,000.
Responding to questions from council, Hackl said the approach with the STC mirrors some elements in place around The Lighthouse Supported Living.
“I'm very aware that emotions are high in our community right now,” Mayor Charlie Clark said, noting businesses downtown have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, and have also borne a lot of the impact from rising homelessness and poverty.
“We need to look towards the safety of everyone, to look towards the humanity of everyone involved and figure out what's the best way to support the people who are on the streets and get them to a more stable place, as we also understand some of the challenges that businesses are facing.”