Edmonton's emergency shelter plan still a work in progress as winter looms
City councillor worries homeless people will seek shelter in transit, public spaces
Plans to create more overnight winter shelter spaces in Edmonton will come up short for filling the entire need — a need city councillors say needs a permanent solution.
Councillors got an update at a meeting Wednesday on the city's homelessness response strategy, which is calling for another 450 winter shelter spaces.
That addition would bring the total number of shelter spots in Edmonton to 1,070. On an average night, 1,300 people sleep outside or at emergency shelters in Edmonton, according to housing agency Homeward Trust.
As of this month, Homeward Trust said 2,650 Edmontonians are experiencing homelessness.
Anne Stevenson, councillor for downtown ward O-day'min, said people may continue to seek shelter in various public spaces.
"We'll have to see how it goes," Stevenson told media Wednesday. "I worry that we will see impacts in terms of folks having no other options but taking shelter in transit for example."
Downtown businesses, City Centre Mall, and the library are also common places for homeless people to seek shelter, she said.
"Those are ongoing risks and concerns and something I'll be watching closely," she said.
It's not clear how much the city will need to contribute for the spaces, as council did not publicly discuss that at the meeting and it wasn't included in the strategy update report.
The province is contributing about $5 million for shelter spaces in Edmonton in 2023 and 2024 as part of a larger package to address homelessness and addictions issues.
Plan unclear for where spaces will be
Hope Mission will operate some of the spaces and plans to open the first ones Nov. 1, and then stagger the opening for other spaces into December.
Tim Pasma, manager of homeless programs at Hope Mission, said they're still working on a plan.
"We're still determining what that's going to look like," he told media on Wednesday.
He said some spaces will be in the main building downtown but that they're looking at other locations.
"That should meet the needs of people especially during extreme weather," Pasma said. "But it does take time to ramp those spaces up and to provide a high quality service."
Hope Mission and other social agencies offer services during the day, like meals, medical attention, addiction recovery, and housing advice.
Aidan Inglis, director of programs at Boyle Street Community Services, said planning ahead would help shelter providers.
"It's always a concern going into the winter, in terms of where can we let people know what's available and also for our own planning," Inglis said in an interview Wednesday.
City's role
From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Edmonton took on a larger role in providing emergency shelter space by working with the Government of Alberta and other partners.
Shortly after the public health emergency was declared, the City supported opening the EXPO Centre and overnight shelters at Central Lions Seniors Centre and Kinsmen Recreation Centre.
In 2021 and 2022, temporary shelters were set up at City-owned facilities, including at the Edmonton Convention Centre, Spectrum building at Exhibition Lands and Commonwealth Stadium.
Those buildings aren't available this year, the city has said.
- City extends pandemic shelter at Edmonton Convention Centre to April
- Expo Centre exits Edmonton's shelter scene with no back-up plan in place
The city is investing in other activities to mitigate the effects of the cold for homeless people.
It's operating an extreme weather bus, while Boyle Street Community Services has an outreach bus.
Earlier in the month, council approved $2.7 million to allow the Bissell Centre to extend its operating hours and day services.
Long-term solutions needed
Several councillors expressed the need to make progress on longer-term solutions to help homelessness, rather than addressing it from season to season.
Coun. Erin Rutherford represents ward Anirniq and said the new shelter spaces are a band-aid solution.
"This is an emergency response, this is by no means prevention," Rutherford said during the meeting."We need to be looking at that housing strategy within the entire spectrum."
While Homeward Trust is preparing to open a few hundred units of permanent supportive housing this winter, the city should also explore more bridge housing and shelter options, she said.
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