Saskatoon faces record high levels of homelessness

City officials gathered on Tuesday, May 27th, to share the results of the 2024 Point in Time (PiT) report.

The report revealed that nearly 1,500 individuals are facing homelessness in Saskatoon with a shocking 315 of those individuals being children.

The report shows that while Indigenous peoples make up less than 12 per cent of Saskatoon’s population, they make up more than 80 per cent of the homeless population.

“We have an obligation to help people; it doesn’t matter where they are from. That is all of our responsibility,” says Saskatoon Tribal Chief Mark Arcand in response.

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Mental health and addictions were the most frequently reported challenges with 80 per cent of respondents saying they have a substance issue and 60 percent saying they have mental health struggles.

The PiT shows that although more people are out on the streets, the use of emergency shelters in the city dropped by 77 per cent since 2022.

The top reason for homelessness according to the report was due to evictions and insufficient income. The NDP opposition believe this is due to a decrease in funding for repairs in Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Units, revealing that 3,000 units are currently vacant.

In response, the Saskatchewan Government says that $9.2 million in new funding will also start multi-year repair and renovation projects to 285 Saskatchewan Housing Corporation owned units.

“In the coming year, Saskatchewan Housing Corporation will repair up to 1,600 provincially owned housing units and provide 350 more households with safe and affordable housing this year compared to last year,” said Social Services Minister Terry Jenson in a statement to Global News.

Watch the video above to learn more about the PiT study.