'No one in our country needs to freeze to death or go homeless': Prince Albert groups search for shelter funding
Non-profit groups that work with Prince Albert’s homeless population are sounding alarm bells as government COVID-19 relief funding used for a winter shelter has stopped.
“For this winter, we really need every one to come together and work together to come up with a place to keep people out of the cold,” said River Bank Development Manager Brian Howell. “Otherwise we’re going to have a situation like back in 2012 where we’re going to have a number of deaths.”
During the COVID pandemic in 2020 - 2022, YWCA Prince Albert, Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), River Bank, the Community Advisory Board on Homelessness and the Prince Albert Exhibition Association collaborated to fund and operate the Stepping Stones Cold Weather Shelter at the Prince Albert Exhibition Grounds.
Based on the previous two years expenses of the cold weather shelter $400,000 - $500,000 is needed to operate for six and half months from the fall until mid-April, YWCA Prince Albert CEO Donna Brooks said.
The groups have contacted all levels of government to find funding for a winter shelter but so far they have been unsuccessful.
Currently, Prince Albert doesn’t have a cold weather shelter for the homeless and no men’s shelter.
“We need to come together and find a long term sustainable solution for this,” said YWCA CEO Donna Brooks.
The groups are looking to find a building that could accommodate 50 beds, is zoned appropriately for a shelter and meets the fire and health and safety requirements.
Howell said the PA Exhibition Association has been a great partner, however, with the pandemic restrictions removed people can gather and many groups want to utilize the building again.
The groups say they are hopeful the province will recognize the need and provide funding for a winter shelter this season. The provincial government currently provides the majority of the funding for YWCA shelter services.
Howell said the need is greater than before. A point in time count of absolute homelessness went from 26 people on the street to 57, more than double the last count.
The groups are “case conferencing” and work together to help individuals with their personal barriers and get off the streets.
Summer proposals by the Mustard Seed to open a shelter were denied by the City of Prince Albert due to their proposed shelter locations downtown.
At present, the only overnight shelter in Prince Albert is a 24-hour shelter for women, children and youth operated by YWCA Prince Albert
PAGC operates a day time warming center in the Union Centre called the Moose Lodge. It provides meals and clothing to the homeless from Monday to Friday.
Some churches and faith groups also assist the homeless and hungry with meals held on certain days and times.
There are beds available at the Social Detox Center at the Victoria Union Hospital for those who are intoxicated.
The YWCA also operates Homeward Bound that finds housing for homeless people and provides them with support.
“A lot of our homeless populations that we are seeing, just isn’t ready for that (Homeward Bound program) but no one in our country needs to freeze to death or go homeless,” said Donna Brooks.
River Benk Development also works with several organizations and social services to find low-income housing for people in need.
“We are coming at this from all angles, we aren’t just saying build shelters. We recognize that reintegration into to the community and a return to normal type of life is the answer,” said Howell.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.