People in Regina mark one year anniversary of the 'city's failed promise to end homelessness'

People in Regina are calling on the city to do morewhen it comes toeradicatinghomelessness.

It's been a year since citycouncil unanimously voted to direct city administration to figure out how much it would cost to end homelessness in Regina. According to meetingminutes published on the city's website,administration was to have that cost "clearly demarcated in a line item of its own" in the city's 2023 budget.

When administration released a preliminary budget document in November,it estimated $122.5 million was needed to implementa housing-first model to address homelessness,but did not recommend it, citingthe high cost of the project to the city's residents.

Regina city councillors Andrew Stevens and Dan LeBlanc andwell-known social activist Florence Strattonlaunched a lawsuit calling for city manager Niki Anderson'soffice to be compelled to include a line item describing the cost of ending homelessness in the 2023 city budget.

They seekeda judicial order directing the city manager to include an estimated $24.9 million in the proposed budget to end homelessness.

The lawsuitwas dismissed on Dec.14and no money was allocatedto end homelessness in Regina in the city's 2023 budget.

On Thursday evening local volunteers and activists fed members of the community as part of a gathering at Pepsi Park in downtown Regina tocommemoratethe one year anniversary of what they call "the city's promise to end homelessness."

At its peak, there were more than a 100people waiting in line to get food.

Tiro Mthembu, owner of The Hampton Hub a Regina restaurant and one of the gathering's organizers, saidhe served 95 burritos in 15 minutes.People are providingfree meals out of necessity, he said.

"Our community members suffer with their [the City of Regina's]inaction so we want to see the city step up to the plate," Mthembu said. "All levels of government need to be involved in helping our most vulnerablecommunity members."

The homelessness crisis in Regina has only gotten worse since the city council's vote last year, he said.

"We've seen it get exponentially worse throughout the city and you can't avoid it in the [downtown] core," Mthembu said.

Choosing Pepsi Park as the spot for the commemorationwas an intentional decision by the gathering's organizers. Itused to be the location of Camp Hope a tent encampment that was home to more than 100 people at its peakbefore beingdismantled in November 2021.

The city announced it would be moving the residents to a temporary shelter, but a Camp Hopeorganizertold CBC News that organizers and ReginaTreaty/ Status Indian Services staffhad to help someformer residentsfind alternate shelter because the facility the city was moving residents towas full.

Mthembu said people were planning to stay at Pepsi Park all nightto showcase the severity of the homelessness crisis in Regina but police and bylaw officials stepped in late Thursday night.

Organizers and attendeespacked up all the supplies and movedin front of Regina's City Hall. Breakfast was served there on Friday morning andabout a dozen people were there on Saturday calling onthe city to make ending homelessness an urgent priority.

"I think that the city needs to be witness to what's going on," Mthembu said on Friday. "Pepsi Park is surrounded by a lot of the resources, same here, we have the wrap-around support at [YWCA Regina] across the street."

"We want the people upstairs to look down to see what our neighbours are facing right now. It's a crisis."

Earlier this month, aRegina family's tent encampmenton a property in the Heritage neighbourhood was dismantled on June 7.

Regina's Mayor Sandra Masters saidthe city has made it clear thathomeless encampments are not the solution.

"I believe what we've learned from across the country is that tent encampments are not the solution," Masters said on June 9."They also create significant risk to the folks who stay there once it creates a critical mass."

"I believe administration andRegina Fire and Protective Services and the Regina Police Service will be working on some parameters for how to move forward."