A report featuring testimonies from those who are homeless has been put together by the Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre (SIMFC).
Saskatoon Homelessness Voices 2022 was established to offer some insight on the ideas, obstacles, and hopes of those who are homeless.
“SHIP (Saskatoon Housing Initiative Partnership) did a point-in-time count in a snapshot. They first performed one in 2018 and then again in 2022.
Then, recent data from the point-in-time count showed that homelessness had doubled, according to Raymond Laliberte, executive director of SMIFC, who spoke to Global News.
SIMFC held Homeless Education Day in March. It provided an opportunity for those who are homeless to express their worries and propose ideas they feel would be beneficial to them.
“We certainly have to rethink our strategy in terms of how we’re going to get those stories out,” he said.
The paper presents 15 personal narratives shared by attendees of the Homeless Education Day event, highlighting topics like subzero temperatures, preconceptions, and substance abuse as well as the difficulties in locating employment and housing.
Laliberte claimed that a team approach rooted in the community is being used.
“You go to the individuals who are most touched, and from there you get solutions. And that’s the strategy that SIMFC has used and will continue to use,” he explained.
According to Laliberte, a homeless urban board was established with participation from the homeless community to promote reform.
He said this initiative could not have been possible without his partners including the Saskatoon Housing Initiative and Partnership, the Hospital Community Foundation, United Way and both provincial and federal government funding..
The Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Center raises awareness of persons who are homeless.
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