Report on Housing & Poverty Crisis

Emergency Public Consultations:

the Housing Crisis, SAID, and the new “SIS” income assistance program in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan communities are experiencing a growing crisis in homelessness and poverty driven partly by the Sask Party government’s cuts to housing supports and changes to the social assistance regime. In response to community outcry, MLA Meara Conway held a series of emergency consultations across the province following the implementation of the new Saskatchewan Income Support program or “SIS” in late 2021. The consultations were held across the province from Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw, to Prince Albert and North Battleford, as well as in Northern, rural, and remote communities. 

Conway has released a comprehensive Report based on feedback received from service providers, community-based organizations, income assistance recipients, MSS staff, and landlords across the province regarding Saskatchewan’s social safety net. In this Report, Conway has identified five major themes, provides an analysis of why Saskatchewan’s housing and poverty crises continue to worsen, and proposes both immediate and long-term solutions for improving how the province’s most vulnerable are supported.