'An accelerated pace': Deaths related to homelessness increasing in Regina, local volunteer group says

A group representing volunteers who helped with Regina’s homeless encampment during the fall said it is dealing with an increase in deaths since the camp was dismantled.

In a statement to CTV News, Rally Around Homelessness said since Camp Hope ended in November, there has been an average of one death every 19 days of former camp residents.

“Our greatest challenge since the dismantling of Camp Hope has been two-fold,” Alysia Johnson with Rally Around Homelessness said in the statement. “Most distressing is the loss of life at an accelerated pace at which former camp residents have been dying.”

She said the second challenge has been the provincial government’s lack of acknowledgment that shelters are over capacity and routinely turning thousands of people away.

“Minister Carr’s comments of late do not highlight the gravity and seriousness of the situation we are in and do not capture the reality on the ground,” Johnson said.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Rally Around Homelessness said there have been “7+ deaths” of former Camp Hope residents since it ended 119 days ago. It said in the 39 days the camp was operated, there was one fatal overdose.

At Wednesday’s Regina city council meeting, Councillors Dan LeBlanc and Andrew Stevens brought forward a motion that asks the city to increase funding for homelessness in the 2023 budget.

“Since 2018, the city has been unsuccessful in its attempts to have the Saskatchewan Government directly participate in funding the [plan to end homelessness] in whole or in part,” the motion reads. “The plan highlighted a priority investment of $5.5 million per year for housing first and supportive housing in order to support 270 complex clients experiencing chronic or episodic homelessness.”

The motion also asks administration to conduct an estimate of how many chronically homeless people are living in the city, the anticipated cost to find each of them housing and a timeline for if the funding is approved.

Stevens said it would look at “the cost of doing nothing” and the effects of dealing with homelessness through a supportive mechanism rather than through reactive models.

“Whether it’s in the healthcare system or the judicial system,” Stevens said, “Actually doing a cost benefit analysis of housing homeless people versus incarcerating them, and letting them be dealt with through the health authority or living on the streets.”

He said he likes to remain optimistic that support from the province will still come.

“I’d say at least six times we have provided to various ministers of social services the evidence. We have made several informal requests. I think we’ve kind of exhausted that pathway,” Stevens said. “The province does shoulder a great deal of responsibility over this file. We have not been able to secure the resources we need.”

He said there was some headway when Camp Hope was dismantled in November and a temporary shelter was created, but it needs to be taken further.

Minister of Social Services Lori Carr declined an interview with CTV News, but in an emailed statement said the province believes all levels of government have a role to play in addressing homelessness.

“Recently, through the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, we provided over $1 million to Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services and the Saskatoon Tribal Council to provide additional emergency shelter support in Regina and Saskatoon,” she said in the statement. “Social Services continues to actively have conversations with all levels of government, First Nations partners and community-based organizations on ways we can better coordinate our efforts.”

Carr said the ministry will continue to stay connected with the City of Regina to seek solutions together.

Rally Around Homelessness said it supports and encourages the city in all efforts towards justice and humanity.

“Self-funding at the city level, as new and unprecedented as it may be, is absolutely necessary and will not only save lives but prove to be a wise investment that saves money and reduces pressure on first responders over the long term,” Johnson said.

The temporary shelter was given a six month lease in November.

Mayor Sandra Masters said discussions are ongoing about what will come after that, as only two months remain.

“In terms of continuing to house, I believe [Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services] has gone through some case management and has reached out to other city organizations to look for space in terms of transitioning, but also finding homes or support services for current folks that are staying there,” Masters said. “There’s more to come on that.”

The motion to end homelessness is scheduled to be discussed at city council’s meeting on June 15.