The Lighthouse worries cuts may hurt people who use Sask. shelters

Staff and management at The Lighthouse, a supported living and homeless shelter in both Saskatoon and North Battleford, are worried about upcoming cuts to the group's stabilization shelter.

Last week, the provincial government announced it would stop funding for the shelter, because only five people in the program had been able to access stable housing.

"We understand the province is under extreme financial pressure," read a statement. "Many jobs are being lost in areas that are of great importance and we would not like to be the ones who have to make these decisions. It is unfortunate that this decision impacts some of the most vulnerable in our community."

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The move to stop funding the shelter was controversial. Both housing advocates and the Saskatoon police chief spoke out against the program cuts.

"If Saskatoon and North Battleford want intoxicated people on the street or filling police cells, then this decision should stand," it said. "But we at The Lighthouse are concerned about the people living on the street their mental health conditions may deteriorate, or worse, they may freeze."

The program was originally designed to keep people out of police cells and hospitals, something The Lighthouse said it has done.

"We have worked hard through our partnership withSaskatoon Health Region, and proved that our services lower the number of ER visits, and improve the health and mental health of our clients," read the statement. "In fact, the report the provincial government refers to showed that for every $10 spent, we save the province $21."

In a news release, the province noted it will continue to support people who do not have an alternate source of shelter, or shelter funding.

The Ministry of Social Services said it's under contract to provide $762,000 in base funding to the Lighthouse, and that will not change.