By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News
St. Mary Roman Catholic Parish in Saskatoon has again partnered with the Salvation Army to open the doors of its parish hall on 20th Street West as an overnight warm-up location, starting Dec. 2.
“Please pray for each person who will enter the site… that they may experience a warm refuge and Christ’s peace,” said Myron Rogal of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon Office of Justice and Peace, when sharing the announcement from the City of Saskatoon emergency services about the hall location opening its doors at night, a week earlier than originally scheduled.
St. Mary Hall will be open as an emergency warming location from 11 pm to 8 am every night until April. This year the location will be designated for men, while the Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre located on Wall Street will be designated as the emergency overnight warming location for women.
This year, the St. Mary Parish Hall site will also be able to offer additional support to guests, Rogal noted.
On the first night of its operation Dec. 2, the parish hall welcomed 35 people taking refuge from the cold, Rogal reported, “with 100 percent of guests self identifying that they are accessing the warming centre because they are homeless.”
On Nov. 27, Saskatoon City Council approved a contribution of $200,000 in city funds to support a $1.2-million Winter Navigation and Warming Centres capital project. The remaining $1 million in funding was received from other levels of government, local community organizations, and private contributions.
In a media release, the City of Saskatoon noted that this $1.2 million in funding will support:
- An evening warming centre as well as a warming location for women operated by The Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre located on Wall Street, Saskatoon.
- An overnight warming location for men at St. Mary Parish on 20th Street operated by the Salvation Army.
- Additional overnight outreach services operated by Sawēyihtotān (Saskatoon Tribal Council).
“We are truly thankful to all our partners who have been actively engaged in a collaborative process and who have been instrumental in getting these two overnight warming locations operational,” said Pamela Goulden-McLeod, Director of Emergency Management Organization in the media release.
“As temperatures drop, our priority is to provide a warm safe location for all residents during the winter. We recognize homelessness is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive community response, and we remain committed to looking out for our most vulnerable residents and relatives,” she said.
Additionally, there are a number of daytime warm-up locations available for those needing to find somewhere to get out of the cold weather. For more information about the warming locations and the Saskatoon Winter Emergency Response Plan, visit saskatoon.ca/cold.
RELATED: St. Mary Parish Hall opens as overnight warming location in 2023 – ARTICLE
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Kiply Lukan Yaworski is the communications coordinator for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon – rcdos.ca.
Communications and Catholic Saskatoon News are supported by gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal: dscf.ca/baa.