The Society for the Involvement of Good Neighbours (SIGN) is sifting through a report, outlining short and long-term priorities for the issue of homelessness in Yorkton.
The report was prepared by Regina-based Praxis Consulting Ltd. and began in December of 2020.
SIGN says it was done through “surveys of those affected by homelessness in Yorkton, focus groups, one-on-one interviews and research into local demographic and economic factors.”
“(The report) was funded by a grant from the Community Housing Transformation Centre, a Canada-wide non-profit and non-government organization founded in 2018 and supported by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) through Canada’s National Housing Strategy.” the organization said in a news release.
Praxis’ report concluded “homelessness and hard-to-house issues in Yorkton are worsening and recommends both short-term and long-term action to address them.”
Several short-term recommendations were made:
—All-inclusive emergency shelters that accept all demographics. Men make up two-thirds of the hard-to-house population but there are no emergency options in place for them;
–Support that addresses mental health issues. More than 40 per cent of respondents report having mental health problems;
–More affordable housing options. Many hard-to-house individuals are struggling to make ends meet. Although social assistance is meant to cover food and shelter, it is not enough to cover both;
–Address the largest barriers of homelessness. Over two-thirds of hard-to-house individuals are unemployed; 85% of those surveyed have high school or less, and 35% have a learning disability. Job placements are a necessary support to help homeless and hard-to-house individuals in Yorkton secure a paycheque and pay rent;
–Community partnerships that provide supports for those at risk of homelessness. Many organizations in the community have developed strategies to support those at risk of homelessness but most are unaware of what others in the community are doing. A collaborative support network among these organizations would be beneficial.
The long term recommendation is a “housing first” model, which involves moving homeless people from the street or emergency shelters into stable, long-term housing and providing them with support, whether it be for issues such as unemployment, addictions, or mental health.
“The housing first model has been used across Canada,” SIGN Executive Director Andrew Sedley said.
“What the housing first model finds is that it’s really difficult to work on some of those issues that individuals may be facing when they don’t have a roof over their head and they’re just wondering where they’re going to stay for the night.
So by putting a stable, housing environment for those individuals we can then go in and provide those supports that are needed so they can succeed.”
The report recommends that the housing is best located in the downtown area so it is within walking distance of medical services, stores, schools, social services and food banks.
SIGN also mentioned in the news release since receiving the report in late-June, they “convened a meeting of about 30 people, including those who have personal experience with homelessness, to start with implementation of the recommendations.
The recommendations were broken down into specific tasks and assigned to members of the group, who will meet again in August”
Sedley says all the recommendations are achievable but will require community involvement and funding.
“I know with our housing support program over the past year we helped house…just over 180 individuals. It’s something that we’ll continue to assist and support people but we need a larger community solution and we believe this needs assessment is taking us in the right direction.” he said.
The full report can be found here.