Sask. Opposition says province mishandling homelessness crisis as thousands of units sit vacant

Laura Sciarpelletti · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 09, 2025 7:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: 34 minutes ago

Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP held simultaneous media conferences successful Regina and Saskatoon connected Wednesday to reapply unit connected the state to code the ongoing homelessness crisis.

In Regina, NDP societal services critic Brent Blakley accused the state of mishandling the situation contempt thousands of vacant societal lodging units across Saskatchewan.

The Opposition said it obtained data for 2024 done a Freedom of Information petition made to the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation. It shows there were astir 17,200 social lodging and affordable housing units successful the state and astir 12.5 per cent were vacant.  

Blakley said it's each excessively communal to see people sleeping successful the streets, immoderate of whom are battling addictions and struggling with nutrient insecurity.

"The Sask. Party has taken america backwards with harmful and thoughtless changes to captious income enactment programs and zero plans for housing. In fact, they aren't adjacent utilizing the nationalist lodging that they person available," helium told reporters in front of the Legislative Building connected Wednesday.

Blakley said the authorities needs to absorption connected getting radical a roof over their heads, nutrient connected the room table and entree to supports to guarantee they tin unrecorded their lives with "dignity."

The NDP said determination are astir 200 units vacant successful Saskatoon and much than 400 successful Regina. It besides said homelessness is connected the emergence successful some municipality centres.

"These homes person the imaginable to prevention lives, to get radical disconnected the streets, to acceptable them up with supports, to get their beingness backmost connected way and overmuch more," Blakley said.

He said determination are immoderate communities crossed the state wherever much than fractional of publically owned houses are vacant.

"We cognize these nationalist lodging units are vacant for 2 reasons — nonaccomplishment to support them and marque them suitable for radical to unrecorded in, oregon a implicit deficiency of readying and foresight by the Sask. Party to code this houselessness crisis," Blakley said. 

The NDP MLA called connected the state to repair units that request it. He besides said Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) payments and lodging benefits are not nearly enough to code the crisis.

"People are not getting the benefits they request and they're having to marque decisions whether they wage rent this period oregon whether they provender themselves, helium said.

"The SIS payments this twelvemonth went up a whopping 2 per cent, which is $30 a period per person. And I don't cognize if you've been retired shopping, but $30 doesn't bargain much."

According to an NDP merchandise Wednesday morning, Saskatchewan is the lone state to spot an summation successful rent prices this month. The mean terms of rent has decreased by 2.9 per cent in Canada.

Read the full Saskatchewan Housing Corporation study connected societal lodging here: 

In a connection to the CBC Wednesday afternoon, the Government of Saskatchewan said that done continued investments, it is making advancement to guarantee each residents person entree to unchangeable and affordable housing.

The state said that since 2021, it has seen a 30 per cent alteration successful the fig of vacant units. 

Regina activists telephone for caller argumentation connected encampments 

Shortly aft the NDP quality league in, advocates successful beforehand of Regina metropolis hallway to telephone connected the city to follow a caller argumentation connected encampments. They besides privation the metropolis to enactment unit connected the state to get radical into societal lodging units that are presently sitting empty.

The acrophobic citizens said they privation the metropolis to perceive to radical who person experienced homelessness erstwhile designing its protocols.

Activists besides called connected the metropolis to commit to not removing encampments connected municipal spot unless radical staying determination tin beryllium provided with imperishable housing. They besides privation much enactment for encampments, including potable h2o and bathrooms, and for the city to allow people to stay successful a parkland past 11 p.m. CST.

Mandla Mthembu, a community activist, said the metropolis is not moving accelerated capable to assistance its susceptible colonisation successful the summertime months.

"It's July, it's a vigor dome. If the metropolis was to marque a determination today, it would beryllium excessively small excessively late. But it doesn't mean we can't inactive propulsion for it," he said.

Mthembu has been a regular unpaid successful the city, working to assistance radical who unrecorded connected the streets, including astatine the ample encampment astatine Regina metropolis hallway successful July 2023. 

He said helium is often asked by radical successful the assemblage what advocates similar himself are doing successful the fight and what the program is for radical surviving successful encampments. 

"No 1 has an reply beyond if you enactment connected spot that's private, you get kicked off. If you enactment astatine nationalist parks and you interruption a bylaw, you'll get kicked off. Like, that is not a strategy."

In a connection to the CBC, the City of Regina said it acknowledges and shares successful the interest raised.

"The challenges posed by houseless encampments proceed to grow, not conscionable successful Regina, but successful municipalities crossed North America. Efforts to make and amended supportive responses and approaches are ongoing," the metropolis said.

It said the municipality's existent signifier is designed to equilibrium the needs of each stakeholders, from encampment residents to the broader community.

"This attack prioritizes the dignity, information and well-being of each individuals experiencing houselessness, portion maintaining nationalist safety."

The metropolis said it is not a nonstop work provider, but does play a important relation successful co-ordinating with assorted agencies and work providers to negociate and respond to encampments.