Dwayne's Home operator worried about future with building up for sale

The future of Dwayne's Home is in question now that its building is up for sale.

The former hostel at 102nd Street and 100th Avenue was turned into a transitional housing facility in 2013.

With space for about 130 adult residents in 68 rooms, it caters to people who otherwise would be sleeping rough.

According to recent numbers from the city, about 1,900 people are experiencing homelessness in Edmonton, with nearly 500 identified as unsheltered.

Facility manager Brad Kamal said they haven't spoken with the company that owns the building but the lease recently ended and a For Sale sign was posted outside the building on Sunday.

The company website describes Dwayne's Housing as a grassroots company with a social mandate to abolish homelessness. It says the group uses an innovative and flexible approach to provide quality, affordable housing.

Kamal worries people could end up back on the street, without an address.

"That's the basis for life," Kamal said. "You have to have an address in order to get your essential services whether it's welfare or AISH [Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped] — everything else. So they need an address."

He called the homeless situation in the city a crisis.

Dwayne's Home residents get three meals a day and staff ensure they have access to required medication.

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He said Dwayne's Housing is a for-profit group, but that it operates on a "shoestring budget."

"We have to get involved," Kamal said. "We have to cut costs. Whether it's serving food, whether it's cooking, whether it's cleaning, home care … whatever it is we have to do we do."

The space also hosts group meetings for people struggling with addiction. The meetings are open to residents and the public.

When they're out in the neighbourhood, Dwayne's Home residents can make some neighbours feel uneasy.

"For me and for a lot of people who live in my building, it makes it difficult to want to go out at night. It makes it difficult to go out, period," neighbour Kristin Raworth said.

"You do get concerned because whatever they're on, it makes them extremely aggressive. So it's kind of trying to balance those two things in terms of our safety but also wanting to ensure the people who live there are taken care of."

Raworth said she regularly hears yelling and fighting around the area and hopes that a harm-reduction strategy should be the end goal for those operating the facility.

She also thinks the city and province may need to be involved to ensure that residents get the supports they need.

"The province created the 10-year plan to end homelessness in 2007," Raworth said. "Unfortunately, we haven't got there yet, but we also haven't paid a lot of attention to that plan over the last couple years as a province. So, it's refocusing on to that. It's re-focusing into our communities."

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She wants to see more support for affordable housing and wrap-around services for those struggling to maintain housing due to mental health and addictions issues.

Operations will continue as normal at Dwayne's Home until the building is sold and the new owner decides what they will do with the property.

The company handling the sale of the building did not return a CBC News request for comment Saturday afternoon.