Complex emergency needs shelters in Saskatchewan’s two biggest cities will be opening in the coming days according to the province.
According to Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan’s minister of mental health and conditions, the shelters in Regina and Saskatoon will have 15 beds.
The location in Regina is found at 430 Pioneer Dr. It’s the site of a former Saskatchewan Health Authority facility. McLeod said the Regina location is set this week.
In Saskatoon, the facility is located at the former site of an SLGA liquor store on Idylwyld Drive North and 38th Street West. It will open next week.
The facilities will not be for walk ins.
“These spaces will be medically supported detention facilities where individuals who are a risk of harm to themselves or others would be detained by the police… ordinarily, they would simply be detained in police cells for a period of up to 24 hours or until they’re no longer a risk of harm to themselves or others.
“However, some of the folks that are battling addiction currently are in need of that period of detention but would also require medical supervision. These facilities will provide that medical support.”
Almost 10 months ago, the provincial government announced just over $40 million for a homelessness plan, which included funding for two, 15-bed complex needs facilities, and two, 30-bed permanent emergency shelter spaces in both Saskatoon and Regina.
McLeod said the complex need centres will be run by Edgewood Health Network Canada.
Facilities will include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, clinical counsellors, security personnel, and support staff 24/7.
For Kayla Demong, the executive director at Prairie Harm Reduction, she said having any spaces to help people when they are at their lowest is incredibly important.
“The most important part about safe consumption sites is that we’re providing people who are often not given enough support a place to use in a safer environment with medical support and social supports in place,” Demong said.
“A place where they can just feel safe accessing us and know that there’s a bit of a community there and people that want them to be treated like human beings.”
And while shelters like what is being introduced in Saskatoon and Regina are a good step, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding drug use and homelessness.
“We have this mentality that if you use substances you’re bad. If you don’t use them, you’re good,” Demong said. “There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. And the true story is that substance use is a symptom and it’s often a symptom of trauma.”
Although residents in both cities have raised concerns about the shelters, McLeod said the two facilities shouldn’t disturb anyone in the area.