‘Significant Gap in Services:’ City of Edmonton Anticipates Need for 350 Additional Shelter Beds for Winter, Sohi Asks Province to Fund Commonwealth Stadium Shelter 24-7

Article content

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is asking the province to fund an additional 24/7 shelter at Commonwealth Stadium during the winter to address an anticipated 350-bed gap in shelter capacity during the evening.

Article content

Sohi addressed the media Friday afternoon about her request, days after the city released a report on its response to the homeless that describes “a significant gap in services” if no more spaces are added. refuge. Shelter beds have been reduced by about 35 percent compared to last winter, but the number of homeless residents has risen to 2,800, an increase of more than 1,200 since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, there are 671 beds in shelters for the night, but the city projects that 1,200 Edmontonians will need emergency shelter during the winter. Other homeless residents are considered to be “provisionally housed,” meaning that they have found other places to stay and do not need emergency shelters.

Article content

Requests for additional funding to reopen three south side shelters operated by Mustard Seed and to extend the Spectrum Building shelter on the Northlands grounds during the winter are currently in front of the province, but that would only increase the capacity to 853 beds.

To address the gap, Sohi said he asked Prime Minister Jason Kenney to provide the dollars needed to open a 24/7 shelter at Commonwealth Stadium, which would provide up to 150 additional spaces.

“As things stand, I am concerned that we will not have enough shelter space to provide a warm space for people during the cold winter months,” Sohi told reporters. “My first meeting with the prime minister was very productive and I brought this up to him. Currently there are applications to increase capacity, but those applications would not be enough yet. If they made the funds available to us, we could work with them to open Commonwealth Stadium. “

Article content

There is no timeline for a response from the Alberta government, Sohi said, noting that he will meet with Social and Community Services Minister Jason Luan to further push the proposal and ask for support. If the province does not provide dollars for the Commonwealth shelter, Sohi said the city is unlikely to step up and do it on its own with its difficult fiscal situation.

“I am optimistic at this time that we will be able to secure that funding from the province. If that financing is not available, I don’t know what the solutions will be. As we all know, the finances of the city are very limited, these are responsibilities of the provincial government and I am very optimistic that it will be able to fulfill those obligations, “he said.

Article content

In a statement to Postmedia, Social and Community Services spokesman Justin Marshall said the province is working with the city and shelter providers regarding capacity concerns and there will be more details on additional supports next week.

The space dedicated to the day shelter has also decreased by 56 percent since last winter and may be further reduced in the new year if funding for the three day-use sites currently paid for by the city is not renewed. The programs were due to end by the end of October, but city manager Andre Corbould extended the deals through the end of the year with an additional $ 1.6 million. But to extend the three day-use shelters beyond 2021, additional agreements would be needed during the council’s budget discussions later this month.

Article content

Christel Kjenner, director of affordable housing and homelessness, said the city is doing everything it can to ensure that there is enough space for residents who are homeless while at the same time working with partners to secure permanent housing options. .

“I am concerned that the sector will not have the capacity to meet demand unless the province steps in with additional funds to open additional shelter beds,” he said in an interview with Postmedia. “Although there is a major challenge, we have had really positive discussions and over the course of the pandemic we have worked with the province to pool our resources and find a way to make sure everyone’s needs are met and I have no reason to believe that. it will not happen again. But there are only a number of decisions that need to be made. “

Article content

Supportive housing

The city also continues to support the long-term needs of homeless residents by adding permanent supportive housing sites. Five sites scheduled for completion by the end of the year have been delayed as a result of supply chain disruptions and are now expected to be busy next spring.

Two hotels are also scheduled to become supportive housing developments through the federal government’s Quick Housing Initiative. Niginan Housing Ventures plans to convert the former Sands Hotel on Fort Road into a 53-unit housing development with a focus on supporting indigenous peoples, including 15 sites dedicated to women.

The Mustard Seed plans to convert the Days Inn on University Avenue into a housing development with a minimum of 72 units. The projects are expected to cost a total of $ 21.6 million, with the city contributing $ 6.7 million.

The council’s executive committee will debate the reports and determine next steps on Tuesday.

[email protected]

twitter.com/dustin_cook3