Square One Community, Inc. met with Tim McLeod this week to talk about possible funding for transitional housing space at Square One’s Fairford Street Headquarters, according to Square One co-ordinator Maxton Eckstein.
McLeod is the MLA for Moose Jaw North, and the provincial minister for mental health and addictions. The meeting included representatives from the John Howard Society, which runs the 15-bed Willow Lodge shelter downtown, and from the Moose Jaw Non-Profit Housing Corporation (MJNPHC), which currently operates several housing units intended for people struggling with homelessness, mental illness, and addictions.
Square One announced in August that they were moving toward developing a supportive housing program at Moose Jaw’s ‘Old Firehall’, now known as William Milne Place on Fairford St. Those plans are an especial priority following the permanent closure of Riverside Mission on Manitoba St. — leaving Willow Lodge as the only remaining shelter in Moose Jaw.
“We’ve been paying close attention to the provincial government’s actions when it comes to individuals experiencing homelessness, including issues around mental health and addictions, as those issues surround homelessness very closely,” Eckstein told Discover Moose Jaw.
“We decided to pursue speaking to the Minister about the salient issues going on in Moose Jaw right now, with the withdrawal of the (Riverside Mission) emergency shelter. So, we’ve been in collaboration with the Moose Jaw Non-Profit Housing Corporation and John Howard Society, looking towards the winter and thinking, ‘OK, what’s next for Moose Jaw?’”
The gap left by Riverside Mission’s withdrawal from Moose Jaw lost the city not only a reliable weekday meal program, but also 10 emergency shelter beds, Eckstein explained. Crystal Peterson, manager at Willow Lodge, noted that her shelter has been at 88 per cent capacity all summer.
“There is a need right now for supportive housing,” Peterson said in a media release from Square One. “We have 30-plus guests that have been visiting the shelter on and off since January’s opening. Supportive housing would give these individuals … a chance at breaking the cycle and help them to get out of the shelter system so that they can … rebuild their lives.”
Eckstein said McLeod was very open to meeting with them and praised their plans. However, the minister was unable to offer any commitment to help them secure funding.
“He did invite us to apply through the PATH portal with the government as an agency, which gives us a chance to bid in a competitive process towards funding for supportive housing through two streams: One, through the action plan for mental health and addictions, and also through the provincial approach to homelessness.
“Being our local MLA, we felt it was important to engage him directly on this issue. ... Tim recognized in our meeting that all of these issues are salient right now in Moose Jaw, and ... he is confident that the application from Square One would be seriously considered.”
Square One Community is renewing a formal agreement with the Moose Jaw Non-Profit Housing Corporation (MJNPHC) to provide the suites needed to launch their supportive housing program. They have a plan, but they cannot proceed without a stable source of funding.
Square One provided the following statement from McLeod in their release:
“Thank you to Square One for their work in the community and for the opportunity to meet and discuss the significant funding that the Government of Saskatchewan is providing to address homelessness, addictions, and related issues that impact individuals, families, and our communities. Under the Provincial Approach to Homelessness and our new Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions, we are making record investments to address these issues. Working with community organizations is an important part of this work, with collaborative and application-based processes that Square One has the opportunity to participate in."
Eckstein said funding for supportive housing would save the province money overall — he has personally seen that happen.
“I have seen cases where unhoused individuals were costing the province hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual emergency service interactions alone, only to drop to 5 per cent of those costs once housed and supported. Funding supportive housing is effective at reducing homelessness while also being a proven, cost-saving investment which saves the province significant money. It’s universally beneficial.”