A community rally outside Saskatoon’s City Hall Saturday called for changes to how the city and police respond to homeless encampments.
This follows ongoing interactions between people living in encampments and police, where people are ordered to move by police or risk tickets that carry fines of up to $10,000.
“That was their option, us is move or you’re going to get trespassing tickets,” said David Fineday from Sweetgrass First Nation. “Last time we got suckered into going into a meeting. While we all went to the meeting, they all rolled in there and tried to tear down our camp.”
Fineday is a 70-year-old man who has been homeless since he was 20, after leaving the child welfare system and surviving the Sixties Scoop.
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He is currently living in an encampment with about 50 others.
“On one side, one whole side is people that work, but they have to live in a tent. Why? Because the rent’s too high.”
People have limited options when it comes to finding housing.
“There is things available in town and there’s many people that sign up, but there’s a waiting list… So, what do you do? You don’t get in there for six months,” said Fineday.
A former Prairie Harm Reduction worker and advocate, Marissa Livedotte, says homelessness can happen to anyone.
“I was working full-time. I had a very well-paying job, and I actually ended up unhoused for three months. It was just a quick change in circumstance, and you know people just they hear that you’re a paycheck away, but nobody takes it seriously. Nobody thinks that it’s going to happen to them.”
And she says it’s more prevalent than what is recorded.
“Right now, I think they said that it’s about 3,000 people that are living unhoused in our city,” said Livedotte. “But you could probably double that with the people who are experiencing hidden homelessness. Hidden homelessness is just, you know, people who were couch surfing, just going from place to place wherever they can.”
Fineday says he hopes decision-makers listen.
“I want to see the proper ears come here, the proper eyes that come here and can see what’s happening, that can hear what’s happening.”