Province working towards permanent housing for those experiencing homelessness

REGINA -

The Government of Saskatchewan said it is working towards additional permanent housing for those experiencing homelessness, as a new, temporary homeless shelter for Camp Hope residents is already full.

On Monday, 40 people from Camp Hope were relocated to an emergency shelter. It has been described as a short term option, with a long term goal of finding housing for the people who need it.

Minister of Social Services Lori Carr said the province has put forward a request for proposal of applications, for innovative housing for ‘hard-to-house’ people.

“So, whether that be low-income people, people with disabilities, possibly people with addictions. The housing that we are looking for can be a new build, it can be a renovation, you can be taking a commercial and turning it into a residential,” said Carr. “We’re just open to any kinds of ideas.”

The province said it doesn’t have a specific number of units it is looking for. The application deadline is in January.

The NDP opposition said the province needs to come up with a plan now, not in the new year.

“These issues are reaching a crisis point right now. We need action right now,” said Meara Conway, NDP MLA. “We have 3,000 empty housing units sitting across the province, hundreds right here in Regina, hundreds in Saskatoon. We need these units to be made available now.”