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Against the backdrop of financial issues forcing them to shut their doors during the daytime, the Lighthouse Supported Living shelter in Saskatoon is holding a major winter fundraiser.
The Coldest Night of the Year walk starts at 4 p.m. Saturday at Station 20 West. The event gives people the option of walking two, five, or 10 km.
Lighthouse spokesperson DeAnn Mercier said the fundraiser comes at a key time of year. She said the shelter sees an uptick in donations around the Christmas season, but that generally slows down come February.
“It’s still really vitally important, the work that we do. So this is a good way to ensure we still have some donations coming in in the cold months,” she said.
The fundraiser also comes as concerns have been raised about the province’s funding of homeless shelters.
In Saskatchewan, people are generally required to pay to stay in shelters — with the province picking up the cost of those deemed not to have the means.
Earlier this week, Mercier said the Lighthouse has had to restrict its operating hours to 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. She said this was due to provincial officials being more rigid in applying guidelines for who qualifies for funding — relying on a definition of homelessness that excludes many of the shelter’s clients.
Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer has denied any cuts, or any changes to the provincial guidelines for who gets funding.
Mercier said those claims may technically be true — but the impact of a stricter application of the guidelines has been apparent.
“The funds that we’re receiving for emergency shelter has gone down 40 per cent — that’s a very clear number,” she said.
About 100 shelters across the country all take part in Coldest Night of the Year — including others in Saskatchewan.
“The Coldest Night of the Year is also taking place in North Battleford, unfortunately they’re in even more dire financial straits than we are in Saskatoon here,” said Mercier.
The North Battleford shelter has claimed they’ve seen the amount of money coming from the province drop by 90 per cent.