Saskatoon city council decided to move forward with acquiring a former restaurant at 325 Avenue C South in the Riversdale business district to use as a warming centre, despite concerns raised about its proximity to the Salvation Army Crossroads shelter.
The location was criticized by Major Gordon Taylor of the Salvation Army as a “bad idea,” although he acknowledged the necessity of providing warming spaces as winter approaches.
Speaking from his experience in Winnipeg, Taylor warned that concentrating too many similar services in one neighborhood can lead to negative consequences.
The city’s director of planning and development, Lesley Anderson, explained that a thorough two-year search for a suitable warming space location yielded only the building on Avenue C South, as property owners are generally hesitant to lease their buildings for such purposes.
Coun. Senos Timon, representing the Riversdale neighborhood, was the sole dissenting vote against the purchase, citing concerns about safety and the added pressure the warming centre might bring to the community.
Despite efforts by Timon and Coun. Robert Pearce to advocate for a more evenly distributed allocation of services for vulnerable populations throughout the city, their proposal was not supported.
Coun. Randy Donauer emphasized the importance of placing necessary services closer to the areas where people need them.
Pearce, who previously opposed a provincial homeless shelter in a different neighborhood, expressed his support for the purchase of the building to prevent potential fatalities during the winter season.
The acquisition cost of $805,000 for the building will be covered by a federal grant, with an additional $200,000 expected from the federal government for necessary renovations to convert the former restaurant into a warming space.
If a more suitable location is identified in the future, the city has the option to sell the building.
The city intends to lease the building to the provincial government, which will further sublease it to an agency responsible for operating the warming space, with renovations likely delaying the opening until the end of November.
Local business owner Daryl Brown strongly criticized the decision to establish a warming centre in Riversdale without adequate consultation, expressing dismay at what he perceived as a lack of consideration for the community’s well-being.
Brown denounced the city’s approach as “sneaky and underhanded,” highlighting the efforts made by residents and businesses to enhance the neighborhood, which they feel are being undermined by the imposition of additional social services.
Additionally, the city council approved the city’s affordable housing strategy and endorsed the concept of creating a centralized hub for homeless services within Saskatoon.