Women
and Family Shelter
Since early 2008 the Salvation
Army has been working with the Government of Canada and the
Ministry of Social Services to find an appropriate location
for an emergency shelter for women and young children in Saskatoon.
In 2008 alone, the Salvation
Army Emergency After Hours helped women and children in
crisis with 2509 hotel rooms and we have been even busier in
the first part of 2009. The idea was to provide a place that
offered short term accommodations while women and children were
in desperate need that were safer, more accommodating, and friendlier
then placing people in hotel rooms.
With the growth of Saskatoon,
there have been nights where
we have struggled finding hotels for at risk women and children
if there was a trade show or a concert that was big enough to
attract people into the city.
While we have always been
able to house everyone, we have been down to our last hotel
room or have had to bring in extra staff to the Centre to make
sure women are warm and safe.
In the spring of 2009,
the Salvation Army placed a conditional offer on a home at 341
Avenue T South. If the city proceeds with rezoning, we will
finalize the purchase and start renovations of the property
to make it suitable for housing up to 10 single women and women
with families on an emegency basis.
Along with inside renovations,
we will be improving and freshening up the exterior of the building
as well as the yard.
Each family will have a
room of their own and share several common areas. They will
be joined by 24.7.365 staffing that will ensure safety
for the clients and help them take the next steps toward finding
secure, stable and safe housing for them and their families.
The staff will not only
be there for the clients but will be there for the neighborhood
as well. No matter what time it is, there will always be at
least two trained staff who are going to be there no matter
what the emergency is. At the Community Centre, staff have assisted
in a wide range of emergency situations, regardless of whether
the person is a resident or just lives in the vincinity, we
are there to help.
With the blessing of our
new neighbors and permission from City Council, we hope to be
open before the weather gets cold this winter.
If you have questions about
the shelter and its place in the neighborhood, please don't
hesitate to contact Captain Rhonda Smith at 306.242.6833 or
via e-mail at rhonda_smith@can.salvationarmy.org
