NDP urges province to address rising homelessness in Saskatoon

WATCH: The NDP is raising concerns about the number of encampments in Saskatoon and is calling on the province to address homelessness.

The NDP is raising concerns about the growing number of encampments in Saskatoon and is calling on the province to step up its response to homelessness.

“Homelessness is out of control, and the Sask. Party isn’t treating this like the crisis it is,” NDP MLA Vicki Mowat told reporters Monday.

According to the City of Saskatoon, between 2022 and 2024 the number of people considered homeless has tripled.

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Data from the Saskatoon Fire Department shows the number of encampments has also nearly tripled in that time frame. As of Sept. 1, the Saskatoon Fire Department says 1,248 encampments have been reported in the city this year.

Mowat says the numbers are concerning. She’s calling on the province to repair hundreds of vacant social housing units.

“It’s alarming when we have government housing stock that hasn’t been utilized. We have places for people to go that haven’t been fixed up,” she said.

Mowat is also calling for changes to Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS), saying rent payments provided under the program should go directly to landlords, rather than recipients.

In a statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Social Services said direct pay is available for people who need it.

It also said $40.2 million has been allocated toward addressing homelessness over the past two years. That funding, the province said, has helped create 155 new supportive housing spaces, 141 enhanced emergency shelter spaces, 30 complex needs shelter spaces, and street outreach and community safety responses.

Social Services Minister Terry Jenson said homelessness is a complex issue and the province plans to expand its approach.

“Last week in the Throne Speech, we alluded to that provincial approach to homelessness being renewed and expanded,” Jenson told reporters Monday.

He said more details on the province’s approach to homelessness will be released at a later date.