Nomadic Dwellings

This is being hosted by our neighbors at the aka gallery.

Folie/Culture presents: Nomadic Dwellings

Performances throughout Saskatoon:
October 20th to 23rd, 2009

Opening with artists in attendance:
October 23rd at 7pm

Quebec-based activist art group Folie/Culture, presents the architectural project Nomadic Dwellings in Saskatoon beginning October 20th, 2009. Began in 2007, the project calls on architects and artists to conceive nomadic dwellings for itinerants. The shelters had to be designed for one person, with materials that were easily found in Canada, inexpensive, and recyclable if possible. They also had to be reusable and easy to set up by one person alone.
Between October 20th and October 23rd, the artists involved will set up and display the works in several highly visible locations throughout the city. In the current climate of myopic boosterism for Saskatoon’s bourgeoning economy, this exhibition serves as a reminder of the social reality of itinerancy. As vacancy rates fall and rents increase, the most vulnerable among us fall through the cracks and are faced with the prospect of living without shelter.

While the project is not intended as a solution to the problem of homelessness, it does aim to increase awareness of the issue. Placing the architectural act in the everyday suggests a discomfiting social encounter that architects do not often rub up against. The paradoxical meeting of architecture and itinerancy reveals the degree of interconnectedness between these seemingly disparate sites within the social body.

Since 1984, Folie/Culture has facilitated contemporary art projects with a specific focus on awareness building in mental health. They encourage the work of artists who intervene in the field of social perceptions, engaging a public who may not otherwise encounter contemporary art.

Re-Zoning Approved!

The Salvation Army got approval from Saskatoon’s City Council tonight to rezone 341 Avenue T South to zoning that allow a short term emergency women’s shelter to be opened there.  This is a significant step for the Centre’s goals of having a safe place for women and children to go to when they are in crisis.

Thanks to all of the staff, officers, our realtor, city councilors, city employees, the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, and our architect Ken Wilson for getting us this far.  After we get our building permits, we hope to be open by the time winter hits in 2009.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Captain Rhonda Smith at rhonda_smith@can.salvationarmy.org or the Residential Coordinator, Jordon Cooper jordon.cooper@salvationarmysaskatoon.org.  Both can be reached via phone at 306.244.6833.

Poverty Linked to Higher Health Care Costs

The Star Phoenix has a quick story on how a new study links poverty to higher health care costs.  I was asked to comment and you can read the entire article here.

Low-income Saskatoon residents are disproportionately more likely to visit a hospital, make use of expensive health services and take medication, says a study to be published Wednesday.

The paper, to be published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, is the first of its kind in Canada to link individual income levels to health survey information from Statistics Canada on a regional level, co-author Mark Lemstra says.

The study uses health and income data collected from 3,433 Saskatoon residents between 2000 and 2005. It confirms previous findings that low-income residents are more likely to use expensive health services, such as emergency rooms, and have poorer health overall.

Lemstra says more must be done to elevate low-income people to a middle-income range, which he says could save the province $179 million per year in health-care expenditures.

"You can't have a medical solution to non-medical problems," Lemstra said. "It costs an extra $179 million to ignore poverty."

Homelessness in Canada

The Salvation Army released their national study on homelessness today.  According to Canwest News Service

According to the survey, almost all shelter users said they want to move into permanent housing, while nearly half reported mental health problems or alcohol or drug addictions.

On average, shelter users have been homeless for three years and the lack of affordable low-income housing has resulted in emergency shelters becoming long-term housing replacements, Harris said.

"It becomes more of a longer term response than it should be," Harris said. "Instead of people being there for a couple of weeks to get back on their feet, they end up being there for a longer period of time because there aren't employment supports or housing supports — things they need to move and transition back from the shelters into the communities."

The Salvation Army provides nearly 6,400 emergency and short-term housing beds for men, women and families each night, accounting for one-quarter of all shelter beds in Canada.

The full survey can be found online here (PDF)

What it's like to live in poverty?

This video was created by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops about how hard it is for those at or below the poverty line to survive in the United States.  It was shown at the National Social Services Conference of the Salvation Army in Chicago last week and I thought it was worth passing on.

Saskatoon Homeless Count Fact Sheet

For those of you who have not seen this, this is the results of the Saskatoon Homeless Count. Done by CUISR on May 22, 2008Saskatoon Homeless Count Fact Sheet

Get your own at Scribd or explore others: Politics Activism homeless saskatoon

In the news...

The Salvation Army in Saskatoon has been in the news lately.  Here are some of the stories that we have been a part of.

• We had a very successful Red Shield Luncheon
• Major Len Millar was quoted as saying that homelessness is at crisis levels in Saskatoon. 

"In Saskatoon the men's hostel has been full to capacity all summer, and almost all year. It is filled to overflowing,'' Millar said. Last weekend the Salvation Army, which is contracted by the province to provide emergency shelter services in Saskatoon, couldn't find enough beds to meet the demand. All the hotels were booked solid.  "The lack of emergency shelter beds is something that needs to be addressed by everybody in Saskatoon. We are looking at alternates right at the moment.''

2008 Red Shield Campaign

From the Salvation Army website

Toronto, May 5, 2008 – The Salvation Army is launching the Red Shield Campaign, a fundraising appeal to raise money for programs and services available to the nearly 5 million Canadians living in poverty today.

“The month of May is a critical time for The Salvation Army,” said Graham D. Moore, Territorial Secretary for Public Relations and Development. “Many families across Canada live below the poverty line and the funds raised during this time will help sustain our programs as we continue to serve the marginalized in communities throughout the country”

With a goal of $3 million, money raised during the Red Shield Campaign will go directly to support a vast array of social programs available to Canadian families that includes food banks, practical assistance, shelter, addictions services and street youth outreach.

In addition to this fundraising effort, Salvation Army officers, staff and volunteers will work to raise overall awareness regarding the problem of poverty in Canada. The child poverty rate remains at 11.7%; exactly the same as it was in 1989 and the average low income family survives on an annual income that is $9,000 to 11,000 below Statistics Canada’s before tax low income cut-off. A national Salvation Army advertising campaign will also highlight the problem of poverty in Canada this May, under the tagline “Poverty shouldn’t be a life sentence.”

As the leading non-governmental direct provider of social services in Canada, each year, The Salvation Army:

Provides direct, compassionate, hands-on service to over 1.5 million people
Provides 6,370 shelter beds for the homeless each night, 1/3 of all the shelter beds in Canada
Provides practical assistance to over 900,000 family members
Serves 2.3 million meals to the hungry

The Salvation Army’s Red Shield fundraising Campaign is an annual fundraising event that is in its 89th year. It utilizes online, phone, direct mail and door-to-door appeals to solicit donations from generous Canadians. Giving to The Salvation Army offers an opportunity to invest in the future of marginalized and overlooked people in your community. Please visit www.SalvationArmy.ca or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY for more information and to donate.

You can also donate at the Salvation Army Community Centre.  If you need more information, contact us at 306.242.6833

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