Winter’s early arrival means Red Deer’s homeless population can immediately access a daytime warming centre run by the Safe Harbour Society.
Given this month’s untimely freeze, council agreed to open the warming shelter — as well as 20 additional overnight mat beds — on Oct. 2, instead of Nov. 1, as in previous years.
Safe Harbour will also be able to keep running the warming shelter and additional beds to April 30, instead of April 1.
Kath Hoffman, executive-director of Safe Harbour, said she‘s glad these warm spaces will be available, since a temporary overdose prevention trailer opens its doors this week in her agency’s parking lot. The trailer has indoor spaces for only four clients to use drugs in a supervised environment at one time. This means others can wait in a warm space for their turn.
The Safe Harbour Society (which usually runs a 26-space mat shelter) will now able to offer a total of 46 overnight spots for the next six months to people who are under the influence of substances.
Red Deer city council also passed another initiative on Monday aimed at helping “rough sleepers,” or those using shelters or “couch surfing.”
A new daytime shelter (unrelated to the Safe Harbour warming centre) will be opening over the next few months with year-round programs and activities for homeless clients. Council unanimously approved a proposal to redistribute some affordable housing funds to the community.
Yvonne Peebles, chair of the Community Housing Advisory Board, said about $148,500 was left from the $13 million the province gave the city over three years for Housing First initiatives because a service provider opted to end an agreement.
This money will be used to operate the shelter, (minus $10,000 that will go towards consulting with people who have been homeless about what kinds of programs and activities the shelter should offer).
Council was told that $150,000 was also available from an old municipal block funding grant. This could be spent on building expenses around setting up a shelter.
There is a “pressing priority” to provide meaningful daytime programs and a welcoming place for people who don’t have permanent housing, said Peebles. She noted most larger cities have some kind of day-time shelters for homeless citizens. Besides offering them a safe, warm place to spend their day, shelter staff can help guide them towards more permanent housing opportunities.
Mayor Tara Veer said the shelter proposal will soon go to tender, and the hope is to have it operating before the spring. It doesn’t necessarily have to open in a new space, she added — perhaps it can be accommodated within an existing agency.
A meeting was recently held between downtown businesses and city representatives to discuss homeless people loitering in front of businesses and potentially keeping customers away. One idea that sprang from the meeting was having a day-time space for homeless people.