Former liquor store in Saskatoon earmarked for emergency shelter

Saskatoon City Council will vote next week on whether to clear space for a former liquor store site to serve as a temporary emergency shelter for up to 18 months.

The building at 1701 Idylwyld Drive North was a Saskatoon Liquor and Gaming Authority store until the provincial government decided to exit the retail alcohol business earlier this year.

Now the Government of Saskatchewan is seeking city council approval to set up a temporary emergency shelter there for up to 18 months.

The new shelter is the result of measures announced by the Government of Saskatchewan in October to ease the province's homelessness crisis.

While the accommodation would be considered temporary, a city government report to council said “the province may consider a permanent facility” at the site, “provided further requirements are met.”

In its application to the city, the province said the shelter would focus on people with “complex needs” who would receive medical care.

The application said the center could accommodate people brought in by police who are “intoxicated and engaging in behavior that poses a danger to themselves or a nuisance to the public.”

According to the province, a maximum of 15 people could be in the shelter at a time, staying for up to 24 hours at a time.

“Given the urgent need, we are utilizing these temporary sites already owned by the province,” the application states.

“This will allow us to carry out any renovation work quickly so that we can get the shelters up and running as quickly as possible.”

The application also states that shelter staff will attempt to connect people who use it with additional supports and services.

In September, Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) chief Mark Arcand said about 30 people with complex needs were being denied access to the organization's shelter in the Fairhaven area.

The STC opened its own temporary shelter in December 2021, the first in the city. The services offered there were later relocated to the STC's current, permanent location.

City council will consider the province's request on Nov. 22.