Sgt. Derek Simonson and nursing students from the University of Saskatchewan talk with some of P.A.s homeless during a walk along on Wednesday night. (Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

By Derek Craddock

A WALK THROUGH DOWNTOWN

Nursing students get first-hand look at the struggles of P.A.’s homeless

Oct 13, 2022 | 12:00 PM

From the classroom to the back alleys of downtown, some local students had a chance to see firsthand
the struggles of Prince Albert’s homeless population.

On Wednesday night, several fourth-year nursing students with the University of Saskatchewan joined members of the Prince Albert Police Service for a walk along through the city’s downtown.

Through alleys and vacant parking lots, the students and officers met with Prince Albert’s homeless to see firsthand the struggles they face every day.

“This is just to gain a perspective of what it’s like downtown for the homeless people here,” said nursing student Brock Chiasson.

“We’re doing our community placement right now. Our aim is to gain more insight into the struggles and possibly more things we can do for the downtown population.”

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Sgt. Derek Simonson was one of the officers that accompanied students downtown. He said the idea came about when students visited the police station, wanting to know more about the city’s homeless.

“They had some questions in respect to some of the impacts that homelessness has on our community and that discussion evolved into impacts on our health care system, law enforcement.”

“Anytime we get an opportunity to partner with people in our community with respect to different concerns or different things within our community, it’s always a bonus.”

Throughout the evening, the students interacted with people they met, asking questions about what they face each night. Many homeless they met had a place to stay that night, while some had nowhere to go, resorting to tents made of tarps, cardboard, and blankets.

For Simonson, it’s a regular part of his duty to check up on the homeless population many of which he knows on a first-name basis.

When talking about the resources to help the homeless, Simonson mentioned to the students there are people in the community willing to help but not enough spaces to even give people a place to sleep.

Sgt. Derek Simonson speaks to fourth-year nursing students at the College of Nursing in Prince Albert (Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

He hopes that walk-alongs like this will show that homelessness impacts more than just downtown Prince Albert.

“The more light that we can bring to homelessness because there are a lot of effects it has on our community. We have a lot of really bright students and educated people in our community that if we tackle it together, maybe we can make a bit of a difference and make change along the way.”

—

derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @PA_Craddock