PHOTO: A group of community members partake in a panel discussion on renting and homelessness. Photo by Joel Willick.
An affordable housing advocate in Saskatoon says many people in the city are on the verge of homelessness.
Chris Randall, Director of the Saskatoon Homelessness Action Plan, says the continuing rise of rental property in the city is becoming a burden for low-income renters. He says even when some affordable options are available they can sometimes come with poor living conditions.
The city was rocked recently following the news that a mother and son were living on the streets after health inspectors forced them from their run-down rental home.
“People need to be housed and stabilized in housing in places that work for them, so we need to see an increase in affordable housing and an increase in quality housing in our community,” said Randall.
Randall was apart of a panel discussion Tuesday afternoon looking at ways to find more affordable and quality renting options for the city. He hopes the panel will generate interest in the issue.
“I think the more individuals that are aware of the discussion will help bring the conversation into the mind of the community and hopefully we can move forward on these things,” he said.
Randall says himself along with the city’s many advocates will continue to work on housing initiatives and lobby all levels of government for more affordable housing.
Saskatoon City Councillor Hillary Gough was another one of the panelists. She hopes the panelists and community can connect with each other and learn about the housing options in the city.
She says the city is devoted to several platforms for affordable housing, but says she hopes to explore what the city’s relationship is to landlords.
“I think it is important for us to consider what our role is to making sure the affordable housing in this city available for rent is maintained to an appropriate standard and everybody is promoting a safe, clean, healthy and productive community together,” said Gough.
Other panelists included Jason Mercredi of AIDS Saskatoon, Darryl Sexsmith from the Canadian Housing Renewal Association and Shaun Dyck of the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership.
Organizers of the panel say they want to see more housing options in the city as well as strategies specific to low-income renters.
This week is Poverty Awareness Week in Saskatoon.