'We have to do something now': Calls made for city council to find new emergency shelter location

During Regina City Council’s meeting on Wednesday, several delegates called on council to reconsider a motion for an emergency shelter location for the homeless population.

Those who spoke highlighted the urgency of the situation and said time is running out to find and approve another location for a shelter.

“This council has neglected the urgency in providing complete permanent shelter to those who require it,” said Laura McLeod, a student at the University of Regina.

The lease on a current temporary shelter space will be up in July of 2025.

A proposed site for a new permanent emergency shelter was voted down by council in a 6-5 during a June meeting. The proposed location was on the corner of Albert Street and Dewdney Avenue.

The project would have required a $7.5 million investment from all three levels of government, including $3 million from the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, in addition to the allocation of $1.5 million from the city’s social development reserve.

Now, it’s back to the drawing board.

During Wednesday’s meeting, McLeod said choosing a permanent location is a step forward in providing a central and accessible space where the public can recognize individuals who are struggling to find space.

“The council has a duty to meet the community's needs outlined by administration and its community members,” she said. “Addressing Regina’s homeless population requires and deserves more than renewing a leasing agreement for a temporary facility.”

“If not now, then when?”

Jessie Stueck, another delegate, said she thinks the proposed location on Albert Street is the best site for the shelter.

“I agree wholeheartedly with the city staff who recommended the site as the best available space for a permanent emergency shelter to replace the current temporary site. Many people who may need to access emergency shelters frequent this area already,” she said.

She suggested the reason the motion was voted down was because of safety concerns.

“Mayor Masters cites safety concerns as one reason for rejecting the space, concerns echoed by other delegates who worried about the impact on property values, businesses and residents of the neighborhood,” she said.

“At what part, at what point, is the safety of those who neither own a business or property considered? The safety of unhoused people should be a central point of consideration.”

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Shawn Koch, a delegate who said he has worked for organizations who are affected by the placement of the shelter, also said the initial proposed site for the shelter was in a prime location because of nearby services.

“Reconsider it and vote on it. Get it done. Where else is it supposed to go? The urgent care centre is right down the street, Four Directions is right there, SWAPS is across the street,” he said.

Koch said the conversation also needs to be on more shelters, not just one.

“We're talking about a shelter that's just a replacement for the one that exists. Not even any more beds. We're not even having the right discussion. We don’t need one shelter, we need five,” he said.

“We have to do something now. You need to approve this spot and then get on the next spot, because time’s running out.”

Florence Stratton also spoke at the meeting and said while the permanent emergency shelter won’t solve the homelessness crisis, it is a necessary measure until real action is taken.

She brought up the discriminatory nature of some comments, which she calls “NIMBY-ism,” which she feels may have impacted public opinion on the space.

“It is in this context that I call on city council to reconsider the emergency shelter and in this reconsideration, to vote in favor of its establishment on the 1400 block Albert Street,” she said.

At the end of the meeting, Coun. Andrew Stevens put forth a motion to table the reconsideration to allow for more discussion if a new report on potential locations is presented.

Mayor Sandra Masters and all council members present voted in favour of tabling the motion to a Sept. 25 council meeting.

-With files from Hallee Mandryk