'The will of the people': Petition calling on City of Regina to commit to solving homelessness crisis

As the one-year anniversary of the formation of a tent city in Regina’s Core Community Park approaches, a petition is calling on the City of Regina to commit to ending the homelessness crisis.

Alysia Johnson and Rally Around Homelessness believe plans and ideas from city council are nothing new. Johnson has penned a petition to Regina city council to turn their words into action.

“It’s a pretty simple ask,” she said. “Funding to end homelessness needs to take priority in the 2023 budget.”

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According to Homeless Hub, 488 people in Regina experienced homelessness in Regina in 2021. Among those, 79 per cent identified as indigenous.

Johnson said her petition has been met with overwhelming support from people living in all areas of the city.

“The will of the people is there,” she said. “I would love to see that reflected and for councillors to understand this is their constituents want and are asking for if they just get out and talk to them.”

The city said it is having discussions about solving the crisis.

“The request was to create a budget line item to determine the actual dollar amount needed to implement a reaching home initiative,” said Mayor Sandra Masters. “That will be considered at budget in December.”

Masters also said the city is collecting data on the number of people who are in need of secure housing as the colder months approach.

“A number of individuals who may have been living on the streets during the summer would have had little interaction with social services,” she said. “We expect them to start showing up places in order to access warmth.”

Masters added the city has $1 million set aside for the operational costs of 29 new units opening in spring 2023.

Johnson said she plans to present her petition to council when it discusses the budget in December.

“It’s going to show council there is broad support,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where you live in the city and if they listen to their constituents, they’ll know what their priorities are.”

Homeless Hub also said there were almost 33,000 visits to food banks in Saskatchewan last year. To help those experiencing food insecurity, community fridges have popped up in various areas around the city.

Saltine Bakery has seen a need for bread and buns and has stepped up to donate their baked goods to those in need.

“Bread is such a primitive food product,” said owner Ashley Schmalenberg. “Everyone should be able to eat fresh bread and have food on the table.”

For just $5, a customer may support their cause by purchasing the ingredients needed to make the donated bread. On top of that, Saltine donates their excess product to various community programs.

“We need to open to the fact that those things are going on,” said Schmalenberg. “It’s easy to turn a blind eye. But if the community can take the time to dig into the [the issue], you become aware of just how many people are food insecure.”