Sask government casts doubt on future of Saskatoon's Lighthouse

The government of Saskatchewansays the Lighthouse's 38-bed emergency stabilization unit in Saskatoon is not producing results.

Officials said only five people who sought refuge atthe Lighthouse last year were able to transition to stable housing.

Citing the provincial auditor's report last December, officials in a news release todaysaid a recent review showed "many individuals were receiving shelter servicesthrough multiple avenues."

Right now, individuals are asked to pay $30 per night to stay at The Lighthouse.

Emergency shelter coverage reduced

Those who cannot afford the overnight fee must prove to the Ministry of Social Services they have nowhere else to go. If officials approve the request, a per diem for$68.50 per night is sent to the Lighthouse.

However, Lighthouse staff noted last year almost half the people who come seeking shelter weredenied any coverage by the province.

Most often, that's because the province has already paid the person's rentelsewhere.

Last year, the province said it spent$1.15 million on the Lighthouse, to support61 shelter beds per night. Officials said theLighthouse's billing procedures have been restructured, to avoid double-dipping.

Nowhere else to go

People who work with the homeless say the people who end up in emergency stabilization beds aren't necessarily following anypolicies set by government.

"They've ended up at the stabilization shelter for a reason," said Shaun Dyck, executive director of the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership. "Maybe they can't remember their address because they're too intoxicated. Or there might be a risk of violence if they go home."

"Regardless of the reason, they need somewhere that's safe to sleep," Dyck said.

The Lighthouse has typicallyabsorbed the cost of shelter beds for those who cannot paylargely through donations and other sources of income.

Police sayemergency shelter beds save lives

Saskatoon police Chief Clive Weighillsaid there are up to 25 per cent fewer people being booked into police detention cells since the Lighthouse expanded its emergency beds.

We firmly believe people with addictions should not be placed in a cell block.- Saskatoon Police Chief Clive Weighill

He praised the partnership between Saskatoon's health region and the Lighthouse to offer theemergency stabilization shelter beds.

"It was only threeyears ago we had threedeaths in cells in a year and a half period," said Weighill. "Alot of this was attributable to people that are being arrested, we don't know what they've ingested, they go into detention and theydon't wake up."

Weighillsaidhe hopes to get more clarity soon on the government's funding intentions for the Lighthouse.

"We firmly believe people with addictions should not be placed in a cell block," said Weighill. "It's imperative that people with addictions don't get housed in our cells."

In a news release, the province noted it will continue to support people who do not have an alternate source of shelter, or shelter funding. The Ministry of Social Services said it's under contract to provide $762,000 in base funding to the Lighthouse, and that will not change.

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The Saskatoon Health Region saidit's paying$623,250 this year to ensure there arenurses, mental healthcounsellors, and other supports for addicts seeking shelterat The Lighthouse,a move aimed at reducing emergency room visits.

The Ministry of Social Servicessaid it pays for 470 emergency shelter spaces across the province, through the Lighthouse, the Salvation Army, the YWCA, and other partners.