The provincial NDP is challenging the government to provide financial support for the construction of second-phase shelters and emergency shelters for women and children seeking protection from interpersonal violence.
This comes after a CBC investigative report showed that shelters in the province turn away women and children approximately 600 times a month because there isn’t enough supports.
Corrections and policing critic Nicole Sarauer feels many victims have been let down by the Sask. Party’s unwillingness to provide the funding.
Tina Beaudry-Mellor, minister responsible status of women, said the ministry of social services has been looking at the re-purposing of their social housing and how it can be used in different ways to help this issue.
“It is a concerning number. But what’s more concerning for me is despite a number of things like the Residential Tenancies Act piece, the Privacy Act piece, five days paid leave, and we’re still not getting at this problem,” said Beaudry-Mellor
While Beaudry-Mellor didn’t commit to building more emergency shelters or secondary housing spaces when asked by the media, she provided other possible options.
“What I can commit to is that we’re going to look at what we have for resources and where we can better use the resources that we have today in a way that we are not using,” she explained.
“If we have a 14 per cent vacancy rate for housing that’s already there, how can we use that in more creative ways and how can we work with our community partners to make sure the appropriate supports are in those places.”
Sarauer said she’s very disappointed by the minister’s response to the problem, adding that domestic violence survivors deserve more than a commitment to just simply look into the issue.
She mentioned how it’s tragic when federal housing dollars are left on the table to build more spaces, but the government won’t provide operating funding for second-stage housing.
“The Sask. Party has been slow to making some serious investments in this area,” said Sarauer.
