The City of Red Deer is calling on private property owners who are interested in selling or leasing their site for the purposes of an integrated shelter.
Interested property owners are being invited to submit their information until Friday, March 31, the city said in a media release on Thursday.
“Currently, the city is developing a high-level property listing for technical review, but if there are any properties that are not currently on the market, they can be submitted by the property owner through an online form on the city’s website,” the media release states.
The City of Red Deer had previously put out a call for privately-owned properties that could be considered for a shelter site in July 2022.
Three locations for a permanent shelter have been chosen by Red Deer city council since the beginning of 2022. The locations didn’t end up working for various reasons.
In January 2022, a site on city-owned land near the Taylor Drive bridge was selected. This site was dropped after community objections were raised regarding its proximity to the downtown and the Capstone neighbourhood.
Then in September, council selected a second location, this time in North Red Deer. However, the Government of Alberta had concerns about its proximity to other services, said Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston, so the site proposal was also abandoned.
A third location selected was in the southwest end of the city in January 2023. The province found this location agreeable, but the owner of the land was unwilling to sell the land.
Administration will assess the privately-owned properties submitted, sites that are currently on the market, and municipally or provincially owned properties using council’s criteria, which considers the following:
- Ability to acquire site
- Adequate size
- Broad community impact
- Impacts to surrounding area
- Access to services and supports
Once the technical assessments are complete, administration will present options to council for consideration to recommend to the province.
Property owners who would like to submit a site for consideration are asked to fill out and submit the online form on the city’s website.
For information on the future shelter site selection process, please visit www.reddeer.ca/shelter.
The provincial government has committed $7.5 million to build a permanent homeless shelter with integrated services. It was initially anticipated to open in 2024.
Red Deer’s temporary homeless shelter, which is operated by Safe Harbour Society, continues to be run in the former Cannery Row bingo hall.
Send your news tips
Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter