SASKATOON - For more than 25 years, Ron Woytowich has been helping people in the La Ronge area get the programs, services and help they need.
Since starting work at the Kikinahk Friendship Centre in 1996, he has kept an eye on what goes on in his community — where people are thriving, where they’re struggling, and who might need a hand during a hard time.
But in recent months, he has been asking himself one key question.
“The need in our community is going up — big time,” said Woytowich. “And we’re trying to figure out why.”
Among politicians, organizers, advocates and residents in La Ronge, there is a broad consensus that life has gotten much harder for community members in the last few years. That’s especially true for people on the margins, who were already struggling to meet their most basic needs.
“Food prices are going up,” said Woytowich. “Rent — if you can find a place to rent — is expensive. And just look at the price of fuel.”
Woytowich says more people are asking the Friendship Centre for assistance now than ever before, as far back as he can remember. He has been drawing on all his contacts and experience and applying for every grant he can find to try and meet that need.
“We never have enough money, no matter how economical we are,” said Woytowich. “Because the costs keep increasing, I have to keep asking for more funding — but then we’re competing with everybody else who has that same problem. It’s not easy.”
'Covid made it so much worse'
But among all these challenges, Woytowich says one common factor stands out: COVID-19.
“The need was increasing before COVID,” said Woytowich. “COVID made it so much worse.”
For nearly three years now, the pandemic has been throwing shock after shock into an already-stretched system, pushing on every crack, weakness and shortage at once.
When COVID-19 arrived in Saskatchewan, the Scattered Site Outreach Program — La Ronge’s downtown shelter — felt the impact instantly. Dozens more people started coming to the program for shelter, meals and a place out of the cold.
“A lot of folks lost their jobs,” said Tina Johnson, the extended hours program manager at Scattered Site. “Now, some of the folks that access our program come here just so they have something to eat because they can’t afford rent and food.”
On top of that, Johnson says the changes to Saskatchewan’s social services programs left “a lot of people who couldn’t afford rent anymore.”
La Ronge faced a housing shortage long before the pandemic — but in 2020, the cost of new construction skyrocketed.
“The cost of materials, right now, have got to the point where I’m really hoping it comes down,” said La Ronge mayor Joe Hordyski. “They blame it on COVID, that lumber prices went up — almost more than double. And I keep saying, that can’t sustain itself. But treated products are still way up there.”
Hordyski says the town is quickly moving forward on another addition to its subdivision, so contractors will have more room to build. But if the cost of materials stays high, housing prices will go up, too.
“It’s a challenge when you’re trying to provide housing and you’re paying that premium cost for materials,” said Hordyski. “It really makes it difficult to keep that housing affordable.”
And affordable housing — or the lack of it — is often what stands between people being able to go home to their own bed every night, or relying on a shelter or other precarious living situations.
“We have working homeless people who stay (at Scattered Site),” Johnson said. “These are folks that have jobs, but can’t find a place to live, or can’t afford a place to live with the jobs they’re working.
“And Social Services does not give enough money for someone to survive on.”
No workers to lighten the load
The housing shortage is a double-barrelled problem for many of these safety-net programs; they need to hire more staff to keep up with the increased demand for their help, but workers can’t afford to live in the northern community they serve.
“Right now, we’re paying overtime like crazy because there’s not enough staff in La Ronge — and you can’t bring someone in because there’s not enough housing,” Woytowich said.
Hordyski says the town is working hard to solve this problem. He knows how critical it is on multiple fronts.
“When you’re trying to attract professional people that will possibly work with people dealing with social issues or health issues, or in other professional fields — well, if they can’t find a house, then obviously they’re not going to take the position,” he said.
The lack of available housing for workers creates a vicious cycle:
In these intense front-line jobs, constant understaffing pushes everyone closer to burnout.
“It’s a very stressful job,” said Johnson of working at Scattered Site. “We’re not just feeding and sheltering; we’re helping people out with their mental health needs. Folks come in here, and they share our stories with us, and they’re asking us for help. It’s a lot to take on, and it’s a hard job. People get sick. People burn out.”
But with no one available to lighten the load, it’s almost impossible to take time off — especially as the need for the shelter’s services keeps increasing. Over time, some employees have had to quit for their health. But that leaves the program even more short-staffed than before.
Johnson is taking every day as it comes, working hard to get the shelter through the winter months.
But as the cost of almost everything keeps going up — and people grapple with the repercussions of the pandemic, like lost jobs, lost homes and new disabilities — Johnson worries about how much harsher life in La Ronge can get if nothing changes.
“The cost of living keeps going up, but the wages don’t,” Johnson said. “That’s a big factor in why shelters are getting fuller and fuller — not even just for people needing a place to sleep, but people who need clothing and people who need something to eat because they can’t afford to pay their bills and put food in their fridge.
“Our economy is broken. It’s very, very broken.”
