Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry hoping for action with affordable housing

While homelessness funding and Regina’s multi-year budget continue to make headlines for the wrong reasons, it’s still something that remains a major issue in the Queen City.

Temperatures are dropping as winter arrives and tents are being pitched in some parks as a way for some of the homeless population to try to keep themselves warm while giving them a place to sleep.

With this trend happening once again, many throughout the city want something to be done about it.

Currently, there are 700 vacant units in Regina that are operated by the Regina Housing Authority.

While those units aren’t all public knowledge, the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry’s Peter Gilmer thinks something should be done to address the homelessness issue.

He adds it’s also not just the homeless population facing affordable housing issues.

“I think a part of the issue we’re seeing is the biggest growth in our caseload the last several months has been the number of folks who are dealing with utility cutoffs. Certainly, that becomes an issue in terms of accessing housing period,” he explained.

“Just moving any low-income folks into those housing units now would make a difference. Given where the market is at right now, we really need to make use of those available spaces because that’s going to have a positive ripple effect across the market for low-income people, including those folks without a home.”

Currently, the City of Regina has decided to park a bus that will run throughout the night in order to keep some homeless people warm. That will be available from 8:15 p.m. to 7:15 a.m. throughout the winter.

While that can serve as a bandaid, Gilmer thinks the government needs to be more flexible when it comes to deciding who is allowed to live in the authority’s vacant homes.

“I do think there has to be greater flexibility in terms of where the need is at presently. With that being said, even folks who fit the criteria in other ways aren’t able to access it even in ideal candidates,” he explained.

“There’s a lot of people who would love to be in social housing as long as there’s the investment there to make sure the places are in decent condition. We need to move folks in there and that eases the market across the board for both those people who can’t afford it.”

In terms of addressing homelessness in Regina and even throughout the province, Gilmer says the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) hasn’t made things any easier.

“There is a very direct connection. We certainly know that there are issues in relation to homelessness that go beyond income security programs, but the bottom line is that this problem has grown exponentially since the SIS program took over in 2021 when it completely replaced the old programs,” he explained.

“There’s been a huge growth in homelessness since last summer and a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that people don’t have the supports needed to pay their rent and if they do pay their rent.”

As of 2021, there were 488 homeless people in the city.

Gilmer is hoping the local and provincial governments will begin putting new resources into a supportive housing model — and he might be getting his wish.

On Friday morning, the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association called on the province to review the SIS program as well as the social housing program.

“These programs are supposed to help our residents in need. But we continue to see individuals struggle to either pay their rent or gain access to affordable social housing. This is unacceptable,” Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers, chair of SUMA’s City Mayors’ Caucus, said in a release. “Homelessness creates significant public safety concerns for both those experiencing it and our communities as a whole.”

The statement said concerns about SIS were initially raised last year because rental payments were provided to program recipients instead of going directly towards landlords. The province ended up reinstating direct payments for some clients, according to SUMA, but it says inconsistency remains and the program continues to be a barrier for those who need it.

“Rent within the province has increased 10 to 15 per cent and both Crown utility corporations have raised their rates, while a single adult in Regina or Saskatoon only receives $600 per month for shelter and utilities,” Aalbers said.

The mayors also said they’re concerned by the more than 3,000 affordable housing units sitting vacant. They add those homes should not be sitting vacant and be provided to those in need.