Residents willing to pay to address Saskatoon's homelessness crisis, survey suggests

10-Nov-2025

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Saskatoon residents see homelessness as a growing issue, and most are willing to pay more to address it, an annual city hall survey suggests.

The survey shows 35 per cent of respondents named homelessness the top issue, marking the third year in a row that the homeless crisis ranked first in the survey, but it’s up 12 percentage points from last year.

The top three issues remain the same as last year with all somewhat related to the crises of unhoused people and addiction. Crime/safety/policing was ranked as the top issue by 21 per cent of respondents, followed by housing at 11 per cent.

Nearly two-thirds said they would be willing to pay a monthly amount to address homelessness, with 31 per cent opting for $5 to $9 and 28 per cent choosing $15 per month or more.

Three-quarters want the city to provide greater support for people without shelter, but only two per cent see city hall as solely responsible for homelessness. 

Sixty-three per cent think city hall shares responsibility with the federal and provincial governments, while 22 per cent see homelessness as provincial jurisdiction. 

Nearly 80 per cent want Saskatoon city hall to direct more resources to address homelessness, and nearly three-quarters want the city to do more to increase housing supply.