Community Response

Saskatoon Inter-Agency Response to COVID-19

Saskatoon agencies have come together with unprecedented commitment and action to address the COVID-19 crisis.

Over 50 agencies have come together to form the Saskatoon Inter-agency Response to COVID-19, dedicated to meeting the needs of people who are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of the pandemic due to entrenched housing and food insecurity.

Partners in the Saskatoon Inter-agency Response include non-profit organizations providing front-line services and representatives of government agencies, like the City of Saskatoon, the Saskatoon Tribal Council, and the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Together, this group is working to flatten the curve in Saskatoon by helping the most vulnerable people in the community to stay safe, reducing transmission of the virus and decreasing the burden and risk experienced by all frontline workers. 

The Response recognizes that the legacies of colonialism and systemic racism in Saskatchewan have caused the over-representation of Indigenous people in the vulnerable population. As such, special attention is being paid to ensure that Indigenous service providers receive equitable access to funding and support to work in collaboration with the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Response and provide essential services for the urban Indigenous people who call Saskatoon home.

The Saskatoon Inter-agency created a Vulnerable Sector Strategy with six critical, interdependent components: hubs, hotels, housing, testing & isolation, harm reduction and food. Without all six, the strategy will fail.

The Division of Social Accountability (DSA) is thrilled to provide financial support to the Saskatoon Inter-agency Response to COVID-19 for the critical equity-informed work they are doing in Saskatoon.