‘It’s not just a Lighthouse problem, it’s a Saskatoon problem:’ executive director opens up about the struggles, future of the facility

Every day people walk by Saskatoon’s Lighthouse facility and see some of the city’s most vulnerable citizens.

It would be hard to imagine that some of those people passing by don’t rush to judgement.

But, to the supported living facility’s executive director, that can be summed up by one simple term: ignorance.

“We’re judged by what they see on the outside of our building, (not) what actually is going on (in) the inside of our building. That’s (two) totally different views,” Don Windels told 650 CKOM Thursday, in an exclusive sit-down interview.

Windels is in his seventeenth year as the executive director of the facility. Since he began the position in the early 2000s, he said a lot has changed. The city has grown around them, and so have the challenges that continue to swirl in Saskatoon’s downtown.

He said with their facility quickly, and consistently growing, there have been accompanying growing pains they’ve had to face.

“There is an increase in the effects of drugs, and the police know it’s there. And they know there’s an issue and with crystal meth, individuals do act out more aggressively. So, wherever you find crystal meth, which is all over the city, you’re going to find these activities,” he said.

“It’s not just a Lighthouse problem, it’s a Saskatoon problem.”

Those “problems” were magnified over the past week following a story by a Saskatoon accountant last Friday. Greg Keller joined Gormley Monday to recount the story of a man chasing himself and four others with a hatchet, begging the question of safety in the vicinity of the Lighthouse.

Windels said the hatchet incident in question is tough to gauge, not knowing the circumstances surrounding the matter.

“It’s really hard to comment on an individual’s action without knowing what’s happened with (him). Was it crystal meth? Was he egged on? Was he irritated? Was he challenged by another individual?” he said.

“It’s almost impossible to know, without knowing the actual details of the individual, and even then, I would be judging, and that’s really hard to do.”

Windels said if individuals are caught with a weapon inside the Lighthouse, they’re quickly seized and given to Saskatoon police.

Still, the stigma remains that Saskatoon’s Lighthouse is unsafe, but Windels believes that not to be true.

“The more people know about the Lighthouse and what we’re actually doing, (the stigma) shifts very quickly,” he said.

“There might be a stigma out there, but it’s usually due to ignorance, and I say that in a nice way. Not, that the individual is ignorant, it’s just that they don’t have the knowledge that they need to make a proper decision or evaluation of what we’re doing.”

Still, many have wondered if the added attention would push those in power to move the Lighthouse from its current location, which it has called home since 1997.

Windels said that isn’t the case, but they are looking into better ways to service the Saskatoon community.

“We’re looking into the possibility of having a second location. What is in that location is yet to be determined. The need for helping people is greater than we have room for downtown, and also splitting up some of our services to have harm reduction versus treatment would be good to have. So, those that want to get better, those that want to go down the treatment track would have a greater opportunity for success.”

Windels said that’s a long-term look at their facility, which will need capital funding unless they’re able to find another location. There is the thought of renovating an existing location or building new.

One thing that Windels isn’t a fan of, though, would be setting up multiple satellite bases in the city.

“We don’t think that having too many locations would be wise, just because of (the) economy as a scale. It’s very, very expensive if you break down the services too much and provide a little bit here, (a) little bit there,” he said.

“You need a level of staffing, you need a level of security, you need a level of other supports that go along with it so we’re actually helping the individual, not hurting them.”

Any conversations of a separate location for the Lighthouse will be looked at by the Safe Community Action Alliance (SCAA) housing group, he said. That change won’t be happening in isolation, but something informed through the SCAA.

Windels believes that bringing together different agencies such as health, justice, policing and corrections to look at the bigger picture with community safety will be the key to finding a collaborative solution.

“We are (more) at the end of the problem. (We) get the people when they already are in trouble,” Windels said.

On Tuesday, 650 CKOM spoke with Cynthia Block, who is the city councillor representing the area the Lighthouse is in, about the issues with downtown safety.

Block brought up a point about the care that the Lighthouse provides to its clients, and how it resembles the likes of a hospital.

“The Lighthouse, in many ways, is like a hospital, and any hospital that I’ve been to, they have security. I can’t think of a place that has more complex health needs than the Lighthouse,” she said.

The quote resonated with the Lighthouse and its higher powers and Windels opened up on Block’s stance Thursday.

“When you go to a hospital, they don’t check to see, do you have an address, or do you not have an address? Are you on social services? Or are you not on social services? Unfortunately, the individuals that are funded here need to meet certain criteria,” he said.

“If we could (operate) like (a) hospital, just help the individual, so if they come to our doors needing help, that we are actually funded to help them, just like they are at the hospital, it would totally change our situation.”

Windels said there are many factors at play for the clients that they serve. He said every person has a story, and when focusing on their clients, their needs are unique and complex.

“(For example), we can put a person in a house, that’s (the) easy part. It’s helping them stay in that house, that’s where the hard part comes in.”

The Lighthouse does have some security on-site and has done so without funding. The city helps them with tax abatements as well, Windels said.

When asked about employing additional security for the building, he said the funding would likely fall under provincial justice and corrections.

The supported living facility does have donors to help pick up the slack from clients that aren’t funded by social services.

Still, they need to rely on their community partners, the Community Support Officers (CSOs) patrolling the areas, and Saskatoon police.

Windels said the hope is to see more police resources downtown in the near future, whether that be CSOs or Saskatoon Police.

Additionally, at points, those who are out front of the building may not actually be clients of the Lighthouse.

“Those that possibly are outside the building may not even have a relationship with us. Some of them could be individuals that are trying to prey on the people were trying to help. It’s sad, but that’s what’s happening.”

Windels said one of the main ways to defeat the negative stigmas that do lie at the Lighthouse is to get involved with the facility.

They have “hundreds” of volunteers, which help out those using the facilities and services that the Lighthouse provides.

In many instances, Windels believes that a simple interaction would show the human side of the struggles that many of their clients deal with on a day to day basis.

We can’t forget that they all have a name, they’re not just a homeless person,” he said. “They have a name, they have a story, they have a family. They have their own story to tell. Just taking the time to get to know the person on a one-on-one basis will change your viewpoint of homelessness.

“That could be us, under different circumstances.”