Saskatchewan’s Advocate for Children and Youth, Corey O’Soup, spent last night on the streets of Saskatoon as a part of the 5 Days for the Homeless Campaign that is running at the U of S.
O’Soup took part in the event to raise awareness on homeless youth in the city.
“Our young people should not be living on the streets, in a country as prosperous as ours, we need to ensure all children and youth are taken care of,” said O’Soup. “We all need to understand that the issue of homelessness affecting youth in this province is a serious one.”
A point-in-time homelessness count from 2015 showed that 45 people under the age of 18 in the city were considered homeless. Sixty-three homeless children were found in Regina by a count in the same year.
“I think for our kids, if we can identify that there is 100 kids out there, I think we can find safe, warm places for those kids to have a home, and I don’t think that’s out of reach for our government at all,” said O’Soup.
Another PiT count, scheduled for April 18, is currently being organized by the Saskatoon Housing Initiative Partnership. A count in Regina is scheduled for the same day and is being conducted by the YMCA.
(PHOTO: Corey O’Soup. Photo courtesy of saskadvocate.ca)