Advocates noticing rise in homelessness as city council set to discuss permanent emergency shelter
There has been a significant increase in people living on the streets in downtown Regina. It comes as city council prepares to discuss the proposed location for a permanent emergency shelter.
“He wants to look after you,” Carmicheal Outreach staff member Chrysta Garner said while trying to coax a woman to stay inside.
The woman was sitting under a tarp in the pouring rain.
“Can we get you inside?” Garner asked.
Dozens are again living outdoors as government funding for Carmichael’s overnight warming shelter ran out at the end of May.
“Everybody’s trying to find last minute places to go,” Garner told CTV News. “The one in North Central has been closed down for a couple of months now and people are trying to navigate what to do here this summer.”
Day programs continue with coffee and snacks but staff at Carmichael Outreach wish they could do more.
“We would stay open as long as we could if funding was always available,” Garner said.
On June 12, Regina city council will discuss whether to make its temporary emergency shelter permanent.
The shelter currently operates out of the former location of Regina’s YMCA.
Two retail buildings on the 1400 block of Albert Street are reported to be the proposed new location.
The shelter will require a $7.5 million investment from three levels of government.
In a written statement, Regina City Manager Niki Anderson said the conversation in council will "be about whether the city should take on the financial cost to obtain ownership over an asset that will be used as a permanent emergency shelter.”
Miles Davis is a community member who plans to appear before council.
“As we’re standing around here looking around here it seems to me that there are a lot of people don’t have a roof over their head," he told CTV News. "What I want to do is I want to advocate for affordable housing in this city."
Right now, affordability appears to be moving in the wrong direction.
Average rents in Regina increased nearly 18 per cent last year – while Carmichael Outreach has noticed a lot of new people living on its front lawn.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6945600.1719608806!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'We need new leadership': Liberal MP writes to caucus, says Justin Trudeau should resign
A sitting Liberal MP has written to the federal caucus to say he thinks Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should resign. 'For the future of our party and for the good of our country we need new leadership and a new direction,' said New Brunswick MP Wayne Long in the brief note.
DEVELOPING Minivan slams into a Long Island nail salon, killing 4 and injuring 9, fire official says
A minivan slammed into a Long Island nail salon Friday, killing four people and injuring 9, a Suffolk County fire official said.
Ontario MPP removed from PC caucus over 'serious lapses in judgment'
Premier Doug Ford has removed a member of his caucus due to what he’s describing as 'serious lapses in judgment.' In a statement released Friday morning, the premier’s office said MPP Goldie Ghamari had been removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus 'effective immediately.'
Is marriage harder than it was 10 years ago? Why one psychologist thinks so
Marriage might be the oldest institution in the world, but it's struggling to adapt to the pressures of modern life. Registered psychologist Adisa Azubuike explains why it's more difficult today.
Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan to become first woman to lead Canadian Armed Forces
Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan will be named Canada's new Chief of the Defence Staff, CTV News has learned, making her the first woman to lead the Canadian Armed Forces.
Multivitamins don't help you live longer, study suggests
Millions of people who take multivitamins everyday may not be reaping the perceived health benefits, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Five survivors from Sudbury, Ont., rescued in human trafficking investigation
Six people have been charged in a provincial human trafficking investigation that identified five survivors from Greater Sudbury.
Human remains discovered at recycling facility in B.C.'s Lower Mainland
Workers discovered human remains at recycling facility in New Westminster, B.C., on Thursday, CTV News has learned.
Sharks take forward Celebrini first overall at NHL draft
Macklin Celebrini is a member of the San Jose Sharks after the club selected the centre from Vancouver with the top pick at the 2024 NHL draft.