75-Minute Debate (25 April 2024)

From Hansard (25 April 2024)

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Provision of Emergency Shelter

The Assembly was debating the following motion moved by Meara Conway (NDP - Regina Elphinstone-Centre):

That the Assembly calls upon the government to request a special investigation by the Provincial Auditor into the government’s use of public funds to pay for motel stays through the Ministry of Social Services.

Mr. B. McLeod: — Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. It is really a privilege for me today to be able to stand in the House and bring remarks in regards to this motion. But I want to begin first of all, first of all to say thank you to the front-line workers, the frontline workers — 1,900 employees in social services — backed up by community-based organizations as well and very capably led by the Minister of Social Services, of Regina Gardiner Park, a great organization.

And it’s their role and our role as government to take care of people and to ensure that their safety and well-being is of the utmost importance. They deliver that every day, Mr. Deputy Speaker. And the reason for them being able to have increases in budget and moving forward in the work that they do is because of the economy that allows us to do that, a growing and thriving economy that allows us to put resources into the area of need.

Now when I drive into work each morning — and I have a drive of roughly an hour — I get the opportunity to listen to radio if I’m not interrupted by calls, which are many. And there’s an ad that I’ve heard numerous times on that drive, and it’s a wonderful ad. And it actually is an ad by one of the community-based organizations that does help deliver care to the most vulnerable in society.

And it speaks of a woman who’s exhausted and driven to make a decision and pulls up to YWCA looking for help, coming out of an abusive situation with bags, a few meagre belongings in hand, and kids in tow and finds that there is no help because there’s no capacity to help her. So that clearly, clearly outlines the emergency use of hotels that this debate is centred on. Where is the space for someone like that when there is no capacity, no space?

That’s where hotels are a solution, an over-capacity solution for pressing needs in emergency situations. It’s not a long-term solution, and so that is why our government is proactively announcing and investing in long-term facilities which will increase our capacity to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable in society.

And so when are hotels needed? I’m going to add a little more into the record from the letter of February 8th 2024 to the member from Regina Elphinstone-Centre:

When do hotels need to be used? When there is risk of being homeless. An example: loss of home due to fire, and no emergency shelter available in their community and no shelter that meets the individual family needs. Seeking safety due to interpersonal violence [which I just spoke about in the advertisement that was read into record], living in unsafe conditions, facilitating family visits, participating in a family reunification plan, maintaining family contact under cultural case planning, attending health care appointments outside their home community, supporting foster parents and extended family care keepers.

The list goes on, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the list goes on.

Community organizations themselves add, in a very significant way, to the social services staff that we already talked about — 1,900 people. They serve Saskatchewan people. Community partners are a significant part of enhancing service to individuals experiencing homelessness and those that may be at risk of homelessness. These partners, which are too numerous really to mention by name, Mr. Deputy Speaker, are an integral part of the province’s service support system. Their impact and commitment and dedication to serving Saskatchewan families are exemplary. Every day these caring and committed employees who work at the numerous community-based organizations across the province make a meaningful difference in the lives of some of our most vulnerable people in all of our communities.

And so in this year’s budget the Social Services portfolio will provide nearly 500 million in funding to our community-based service providers to help deliver services that enable Saskatchewan people to achieve a better quality of life. Five hundred million, Mr. Deputy Speaker, represents 30 per cent of the ministry’s budget, and only again because our economy is solid and growing, are we able to provide this funding. And in this budget we’ve added significantly to that CBO funding.

Let me talk about Saskatchewan housing authority providing affordable rental options to people and families in 280 communities across Saskatchewan. This year SHA will invest 83.4 million in the repair and maintenance of provincially owned housing units, focused on where there is ongoing demand for those in greatest need — major urban centres and northern Saskatchewan. Again meeting the needs of those who need it most.

Under our plan, as my colleague from Lloydminster has already spoken of, 155 new supportive housing spaces and 120 new permanent emergency shelter spaces will be created over the next two years. Our government also plans to improve community safety and outreach responses with the creation of 30 new complex-needs emergency shelter spaces to address those issues.

Those are the types of investments our party is supporting. When hotels are needed they are used to ensure the safety of vulnerable people. But they are not, and won’t be, a long-term solution with our government in place. We are making the investments to make sure they’re there.

So let’s look at some recent announcements. October 6th, 2023: the province aims to address complex needs and community safety among other initiatives, with a 40.2 million homelessness plan announced. Nearly half of that investment, 19 million, will go toward community safety efforts, which includes 30 beds in two emergency shelters in Regina and Saskatoon.

January 9th, 2024: YWCA Regina and The Mustard Seed have been selected by the Saskatchewan government to operate new permanent emergency shelters in both of those respective cities. A quote, “The Ministry of Social Services supports vulnerable people in need of shelter by connecting them with community organizations that offer emergency shelter spaces.”

So let’s look at some budget highlights. A record 1.54 billion in social service investment, an increase, 7.8 per cent from the previous year; 16.7 million increase supporting the implementation of the provincial approach to homelessness — a terrific, terrific program.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, the ministry is fully participating with the Provincial Auditor in its review, and its findings will be shared. And we do look forward to the findings and recommendations of our auditor.

There is much more to do obviously, but we’ve committed to meeting people where they are and supporting them in finding stability and securing a better quality of life and having a hand up on their way to more prosperous involvement in Saskatchewan society. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we are a party that cares for the vulnerable people, and we will do our very best to work for them every, every day.