The emergency shelter at Kikinahk provides overnight housing during the coldest months of the year. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

homelessness

Province contributes $97,600 to Kikinahk for emergency shelter spaces

Jan 18, 2024 | 1:34 PM

Kikinahk Friendship Centre executive director Ron Woytowich is grateful for a $97,600 payment from the provincial government to fund 10 emergency shelter spaces at La Ronge’s Scattered Site.

“We were OK for the last couple of years because there was COVID money and that COVID money kind of assisted us,” he said.

“The whole operation costs just over $1 million per year. That includes Scattered Site and the shelter, and we had extra funding the last couple of years from the COVID money. That helped us with our salaries, food costs, utilities, and rent that have all gone up.”

Woytowich explained the Kikinahk board held a meeting in November 2023 and discussed the possibility of shutting down the overnight shelter as they wouldn’t be able to subsidize it much longer.

“The truth is we had those beds anyway because we couldn’t turn people away and it’s been really cold, so there really isn’t change at all but we suddenly have enough funds to pay for everything and it just kind of worked out,” he said.

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The provincial funding is part of the Provincial Approach to Homelessness initiative announced in October 2023. The payment to Kikinahk was provided to enable Scattered Site to continue to operate 10 beds (out of a total of 23) from Dec. 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.

The $40.2 million, two-year investment through the initiative will create 155 new supportive housing spaces, and 120 new permanent emergency shelter spaces, and enhance community safety and outreach responses that include 30 new complex needs emergency shelter spaces.

Woytowich, who added the shelter housed 202 people last fiscal year, is hopeful the province will provide some funding again next winter.

“We have four different sources of funding to operate the shelter,” he said.

“We definitely have enough stats. Our reporting on their money is they ask for more than anyone else ever does, so hopefully they are taking note on the number of people that we are looking after and hopefully next year they will fund us again.”

The additional funding for 120 new emergency shelter spaces in Saskatchewan communities, based on need, will mean approximately 500 permanent emergency shelter spaces are available across the province this winter.

“The Ministry of Social Services is pleased to support Kikinahk in its important work caring for members in their community who are experiencing homelessness,” said Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky in a media release issued Thursday.

“Through our community partners, we are connecting vulnerable people to the emergency shelter and supports they need to assist them on their path to achieving stability.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com