One-stop shopping, services program a success
- Andréa Ledding | May 24, 2016
YXE Connects held their second annual event at White Buffalo Youth Lodge and City Centre Church on 20th Street Monday, May 16th from 10 am to 4 pm. Vendors offered free services, information, and one-stop complimentary shopping for everything from a massage, to health care, to counselling, to literacy programs, to shoes and a haircut.
Justin Fisher, the YXE Connects Coordinator, said they were very excited to offer the program.
“We have 70 different service providers here today, 75 volunteers throughout the day to help people navigate and get around,” noted Fisher. “Service providers are providing a range of services like chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage therapy, haircuts, ID clinics — everything is provided for free. The idea is to bring everything into one place for one day to offer it in a barrier-free environment.”
He added that it is not only to provide services but to connect community members with all the amazing community agencies, supports, programs, and services available in Saskatoon. It’s modelled after similar events that happen across the country in places like Edmonton and Toronto, after beginning in San Francisco some years ago.
“Homelessness — with a broad definition of homelessness — is a growing problem in Saskatoon and just a lot of people in Saskatoon have trouble accessing services,” Fisher said. “Looking at what happens in Edmonton and Toronto we thought that was badly needed in Saskatoon as well.”
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Although Fisher had been on the run all morning, he’d noticed numbers were already up from last year’s 600 or so.
“I’ve noticed how busy it is, within a few minutes of the haircuts opening they were booked for hours. Massage therapy is full of people,” he said. “The service providers have all been amazing. Everyone’s helping each other out and I feel like it’s a very positive environment.”
The two buildings were filled with people of all ages accessing the services; from the elderly to the infirm to young families pushing strollers or with children in tow. Fisher noted that the community has been incredibly supportive of the program, and it is almost doubling in access this year.
“I’d really like to thank the Community Initiatives Fund and the United Way for funding this year, it’s enabled us to expand what we did this year. Which is great because we had over 600 last year and we’re planning for 1000 or more this year.”
He also had praise for White Buffalo and City Centre for providing the big open spaces accessible to everyone.
“It’s great to have something like this, I am employed but I still can’t afford a massage, so I went over on my break when they had space,” noted one of the volunteers. “I wish this happened even more frequently than once a year. The location and the services are excellent, and they’re bringing so much joy and practical supports to our community people right where they are.”