MOOSE JAW, Sask. — The Saskatchewan NDP is pushing for changes to social assistance rent payments, arguing that sending money directly to landlords could help prevent evictions and homelessness in Moose Jaw.
Speaking across the street from the Moose Jaw Housing Authority office Oct. 22, Regina Rochdale MLA Joan Pratchler said the province needs to help people stay housed and ease pressure on community organizations supporting those without a home. The authority manages affordable housing on behalf of the provincial government’s Saskatchewan Housing Corporation.
“We need real and effective policy coming from the provincial government,” Pratchler said. “We need policy that prevents people from winding up on the streets in the first place.”
Pratchler said the Opposition plans to introduce a private member’s bill this fall to restore direct rent and utility payments for Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) and Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) clients, aiming to improve housing stability for tenants and payment certainty for landlords.
She said restoring the payments would help vulnerable clients avoid falling into arrears and facing eviction. If the Saskatchewan Party government does not pass the proposed legislation, she said the NDP would make the change a priority upon forming government.
“We’re committed to implementing that legislation within the first 100 days of forming government. Period,” Pratchler said. “Stability is key to keeping people off the street, and it starts with housing and a home.”
According to the province’s current SIS program information, the ministry may pay rent, utilities and security deposits directly on behalf of clients with complex challenges. Trusteeship and money-management supports are also available.
In its Oct. 22 release, the NDP said the transition to SIS in 2019 removed the previous program’s general option for direct rent and utility payments, which its proposed legislation would restore.
Housing pressures reach beyond the street
Pratchler pointed to rising homelessness and reduced food bank access as signs that local organizations are struggling to meet demand.
Square One Community Inc.’s Oct. 1, 2024, point-in-time count, conducted with Métis Nation–Saskatchewan, identified 76 people who completed surveys and another 44 observed as experiencing homelessness, for a total of 120.
Including an allowance for people missed by the count, the organization estimated the total at approximately 150, compared with an estimated 73 in 2023.
The findings also highlighted the connection between income supports and housing insecurity: 53 per cent of respondents identified social assistance as their primary income source, while another 17 per cent reported disability benefits. Forty-one per cent were unsure where they would sleep, and 26 per cent had dependents.
Moose Jaw’s Social Housing Advisory Committee organized a shorter enumeration Oct. 7 and 8 to update the local picture and inform services and funding requests.
In an Oct. 8 interview, Square One board president Della Ferguson said the organization had housed 74 people since the 2024 count, while 70 assessed individuals remained on its waiting list. Those figures describe separate circumstances and do not represent a combined homelessness total.
Asked how Moose Jaw’s situation compares with larger cities and rural communities, Pratchler said the need for safety and support remains the same regardless of the community’s size.
“Everybody needs to know that somebody cares for them. Everybody needs to know that they’re going to have a home — a place where they’re safe, where they can thrive,” Pratchler said. “And you can’t do that on the street.”
The Moose Jaw and District Food Bank announced this spring that it would reduce access from twice monthly to once a month beginning April 1, citing sharply higher demand and declining financial donations.
At the time, the food bank said visits had risen by more than 150 per cent over four years, while monetary donations had fallen approximately 20 per cent compared with the previous year.
By July, the organization was reporting more than 1,200 visits monthly, with children accounting for more than one-third of those receiving assistance. Executive director Jason Moore said many clients were employed but struggling to afford groceries as housing, utility and other household costs stretched their budgets.
In a written appeal supporting the food bank’s summer fundraising campaign, Moore emphasized that the need extended across the community.
“They are your neighbours. Co-workers. Friends. People you see every day,” Moore wrote. “They include seniors living on fixed incomes, parents raising children, individuals facing health challenges, and working people who are doing everything right but still falling behind.”
Pratchler, a former principal and registered nurse who worked in mental health, said financial insecurity affects children’s learning, family relationships and health.
“When poverty starts hitting, we will see mental health issues. We will see a whole host of societal issues that happen from that,” Pratchler said. “It’s just like a ripple effect in the community, and that’s what we’re seeing.”
She said restoring direct rent payments would be one part of a broader response that includes affordability measures, investments in affordable and social housing, and timely repairs to existing rental units.
Pratchler also linked housing stability to access to preventive primary health care, education and social services. She called for co-ordinated supports that reflect the complex challenges people face and address the underlying causes of homelessness, helping people find and maintain stable housing.
Costs and broader housing supports
Asked about implementation costs, Pratchler described redirecting payments as a straightforward administrative change but did not provide a dollar estimate.
“Just change the address on the cheque,” Pratchler said. “That’s pretty cheap, pretty easy, pretty doable.”
In its 2026-27 budget announcement, the province identified $17.6 million for repairs to provincially owned housing and new affordable rental units. It also highlighted continued implementation of an additional $20 million over three years for homelessness services, announced in November 2025.
Pratchler’s call for more connected supports follows the NDP’s Oct. 21 primary-care announcement. That proposal would connect residents with local care teams and link those teams to services including mental health and addictions care, social work and community programs.
MooseJawToday.com has requested comment from the provincial government and will follow up once a response is received.
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