The Salvation Army Community Centre and “wet shelters”

Earlier this week a story was published on CBC Saskatchewan that addressed a recent report (PDF) published by the Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, interviewed 44 people who were having trouble finding housing..  Captain Rhonda Smith and I sat down with a reporter from CBC Radio and we addressed several of the issues that came up in the report that were relevant to our role as a shelter for men in Saskatoon.

When the story did come out, it focused on some comments I made about wet shelters.  The quotes made it look like we as a Centre were engaged in discussions about a wet shelter which is not accurate and was never the intent of my answer.  The greater context of the answer made it clear that the Salvation Army Community Centre is a drug and alcohol free shelter and as a “dry shelter”, we were the wrong people to ask about the effectiveness of wet shelters.  I suggested that the people to talk to about wet shelters were the Saskatoon Health Region and more specifically Larson House.  When the story was published, I was disappointed that the article did not share the broader context of our conversation and it gave the impression that we were actively engaged in discussions about a wet shelter in Saskatoon when we are not.

For over 100 years in Saskatoon, the Salvation Army has been providing assistance to people with a variety of social and spiritual needs.  The Salvation Army Community Centre in Saskatoon continues this practice by offering a alcohol and drug free environment for the community to take come to and receive food, shelter, emergency services, budget management, and spiritual care.

Clients who do choose to drink or consume drugs are referred to Larson House or in the case of extreme intoxication, are picked up by the Saskatoon City Police (or if it is in their best medical interests, we call an ambulance and they are given medical care). 

While the vast majority of the 18,000+ beds we served up in 2008 were used by men wanting a drug and alcohol free shelter, some of our clients are determined to continue to consume drugs and alcohol on a consistent basis.  For those clients we work with them in finding other places to reside and in extreme cases, we ask that they do find other places to reside other than our facility for the safety of our staff and other clients. 

If you have any questions about this or any other manner, don’t hesitate to call the Centre at 306.242.6833 or e-mail jordon.cooper@salvationarmysaskatoon.org or our Executive Director at rhonda_smith@can.salvationarmy.org.