(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Social issues

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During Thursday’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting, amidst discussion of the need to address the root causes that are driving up the city’s crime rate, the executive director of the Indian Metis Friendship Centre discussed the need to provide better supports for the city’s homeless.

Janet Carriere explained the pandemic has put a big strain on the city’s homeless, adding the reason the public may be seeing more people sleeping in doorways or on the street, is simply because the individuals have no other place to go. Many of the places they have turned to in the past for shelter at night, are now either locked up or closed. Even options for couch surfing at a relative’s house, have been restricted.

“They are moving down to your neighbourhoods,” Carriere said.

One of the questions posed to the board is what to do given temperatures are now dropping. Carriere explained it’s important the public understands that not all homeless people want to stay in a shelter.

“We continually believe we need to put up more shelters, more shelters, more shelters and maybe we do and maybe we don’t,” she said.

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Janet Carriere. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Carrier noted that for now agencies are talking amongst themselves about solutions but hinted down the road they may come to the city for help.

“The province won’t fund a lot of social issues, but we know that, so what are we going to do? Are we going to cry about the province not helping us or are we going to do something,” she said.

Mayor Greg Dionne mentioned a plan of action was in the works and after the meeting told paNOW that before you can develop a strategy, you must first do a survey.

“We’ll soon be announcing that we’ve hired a professional. We’re just talking about funding, both federal and provincial,” he said.

Dionne explained the survey will be two fold: first focusing on the community at large and the respective agencies, and second focusing on the homeless and looking not just at how many people are on the street, but also the reason why they are living on the street.

“We could have a meeting right now and everyone would come and we would all feel good and leave but we wont do anything,” he said. “I want to have a meeting where we are come with some meat and potato outcome on how we are going to solve the problem.”

Dionne could not yet provide a timeline for the survey, and added the city has not had actual numbers for almost five years with respect to its homeless population.

During a federally-funded homeless survey, more than 100 people were identified as living without a home in Prince Albert.

Response from a local stakeholder

Donna Brooks, executive director of the Prince Albert YWCA, told paNOW she thinks the survey is a great idea, adding it’s important for any city to take a pulse of where they are at.

“If we are going to make meaningful change, we have to know exactly what the current situation is and need to hear it from different stakeholders,” she said.

Brooks explained the issues surrounding homelessness extend beyond the city’s borders, and across the entire region including La Ronge and Pinehouse.

“And of course addiction fuels a lot of that,” she said.

Addictions issues have become very visible across the city. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

One of the changes Brooks said she would like to see is the hours of operating and rules surrounding liquor stores.

“They can buy one drink so its pretty easy to go panhandle down and then go buy a drink,” Brooks said.

Another challenge is the change made to how individuals receiving income support are getting paid out from the government. In the past, a rent payment was made directly to the landlord. Brooks explained this does not help their clients who have addictions issues.

“You know the addiction can be stronger than their will to pay the rent so they are ending up on the street. It’s kind of like a perfect storm for homelessness right now in our city,” she said.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell