Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand is speaking up against the hate spreading on social media about the new shelter opening in Fairhaven.
He’s urging people to step away from their keyboards and have a real conversation with him about homelessness.
“I just wish people would pick up the phone and talk to me instead of standing behind a keyboard and putting messages out there — saying some pretty rude things about me and my organization,” Arcand said.
“It’s not acceptable. That's not how we conducted ourselves as people … They’re hiding behind a computer and that’s pretty disheartening.”
The STC is moving and expanding its current downtown shelter into a former church in the Fairhaven neighbourhood.
Residents have shared concerns about safety and property value as a result of the shelter.
“We’re not trying to lower your property value. We're trying to provide a service,” Arcand told CTV Morning Live on Wednesday.
He said homelessness is a community issue that requires people to work together to find solutions.
Arcand is inviting people to come to tour the shelter when it opens on Nov. 15.
