The provincial government has agreed to meet with the organizers of last year’s Camp Hope as a few tents pop up again in Regina parks.
Groups that assist the houseless marched to Regina’s Social Services office this week after the minister said anyone needing a home would be accommodated. A tent pitched out front was later pressed into service for the night to help a man who apparently did not receive housing promptly.
“We took him into the office. The supervisor took him away from us to the back and he emerged within an hour with a phone number, the call center number to call again so we’re just running in circles,” said Shylo Stevenson of Warriors of Hope.
Many involved with last summer’s Camp Hope in Pepsi Park have been offered a meeting with Social Services Minister Lori Carr. A few tents are beginning to pop up around the city and no one wants to see last year’s situation repeated.
“These individuals are providing wrap around services to folks on a volunteer basis and if that isn’t an indictment of the system, I don’t know what is,” said NDP MLA Meara Conway.
The minister will meet the delegation later this week.
“As we continue forward, it is a unified effort so whether it’s between our community based organizations, Government of Saskatchewan Government of Saskatchewan, City of Regina, all of us working together on what we see is what’s going to help solve what’s happening out there ,” Carr said.
That meeting will discuss housing benefits which fall short of rental costs in major Saskatchewan cities.
“It’s kind of been ‘everything’s fine, nothing to see here, everybody who needs a bed gets one’, and I could vehemently disagree with that any more,” said Alisha Johnson of Carmichael Outreach.
Organizers of Camp Hope say they are not interested in coordinating another camp this summer, but they don’t believe anyone should have to live in a tent or other substandard housing.