YORKTON – The provincial government has announced an additional $20 million over three years targeted at addressing homelessness.
The money will be added to the Provincial Approach to Homelessness (PATH), to expand programs to prevent homelessness and enhance support services for individuals experiencing homelessness.
“Through the ministries of Social Services, Health, and Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, we have invested more than $98 million in homelessness services since the foundational PATH investment was announced in 2023,” Social Services Minister Terry Jenson said in a government release. “This additional provincial investment is building on programs and services already in place to provide multi-year funding for community-led responses to homelessness, expand emergency shelter capacity, and support transitions to supportive housing.”
Yorkton Fire Chief Trevor Morrissey who has been working on homelessness in the city said it would have been good to be part of the provincial process ahead of the announcement.
“Although the City of Yorkton has not directly seen funding from this program, nor was it part of the consultation process we continue to work with community based organizations to try solve some of the complex issues faced by those with immediate housing and/or addiction issues,” he told Yorkton This Week. “Had we been part of the consultation process we could have made government aware of the many barriers we see that are extremely difficult to navigate. Further, the need to build capacity in surrounding communities so individuals are not forced to leave natural supports like friends and family to access services in the larger cities and HUB communities.”
The provincial plan will mean up to an additional $20 million in provincial funding over the next three years will provide:
- $12 million to expand homelessness services by providing predictable multi-year funding to municipalities to support community-led priorities and strategies;
- $4 million to create up to 40 new emergency shelter spaces at existing shelters based on demonstrated need; and
- $4 million to create up to 60 new supportive housing spaces and add more trusteeship services to support individuals to transition to supportive housing.
When asked about the new money and its potential to help, Andrew Sedley, CEO at SIGN in Yorkton said, “there’s not a lot of information” released yet. He then added, “I think I’m encouraged.”
Sedley said the dollars at the very least show there is awareness within the provincial government that homelessness is something that needs dollars to address.
The details here will matter, said Sedley, adding “once we learn more about what it means,” he will be able to better comment whether “it will have a meaningful impact to this community.”
PATH has provided a foundation to collaborate and seek new solutions to the complex issue of homelessness with all levels of government and Indigenous and community partners. The initial PATH investment of $40.2 million in 2023 created new supportive housing spaces, emergency shelter spaces, and community safety and outreach services across the province. Since then, partners have also responded to arising needs together to establish and expand drop-in and outreach services.
“Our discussions with partners led to the areas chosen for this additional investment, with a focus on supporting services and initiatives that are demonstrating progress and having a positive impact,” Jenson said in the government release. “We look forward to continuing to partner with service providers, with our municipal and federal counterparts, and with Indigenous and community organizations to help people in need transition to stable housing, remain successfully housed, and achieve a better quality of life.”
Sedley said in regards to the new dollars seeming to be targeted at least in part to communities which are doing things already Yorkton in well positioned with a broadly based Social Housing Committee already in place.
“We’re already focusing on homelessness,” he said.
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