Jasper Place Wellness Centre ends housing project after city funding runs out
Program helped 87 chronically homeless people find housing, CEO says
A transitional-bridge housing project in west Edmonton has ended after $7.5 million in temporary funding from the City of Edmonton ran out last week.
Advocates say the closure leaves a gap in services for people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton, now estimated to be about 3,000 people, according to Homeward Trust's website.
The Jasper Place Wellness Centre (JPWC) closed 59 beds and 10 low-mobility spaces in a former hotel at 156th Street and Stony Plain Road on Aug. 3, after six months in operation.
During that time, 148 chronically homeless people stayed at the facility, and 87 ended up in permanent housing, said Murray Soroka, CEO of the centre.
"I would find that wildly successful," Soroka told CBC News in an interview this week.
The program provided mental health and addiction support and helped clients get identification and income support. They also got help finding apartments and furniture, Soroka said.
Clients stayed for an average of 52 days from the time of enrolment to getting housed, he said.
The bridge housing was alongside 150 emergency shelter spaces in the same building. The shelter, which closed in late May, was leased from the Tallcree Tribal Government.
"It was a program that was well thought out by the city," Soroka said.
"To have them realize that a shelter is one thing, but to be able to actually give someone an opportunity to move from a shelter bed to a transition bed to permanent housing, was a better outcome."
The City of Edmonton paid for the package deal after the city council approved the funding as part of last December's operating budget session.
Mayor's letter to the province
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi recently asked the province to continue supporting the program or initiatives like it.
"Unfortunately, the site is set to close on Aug. 3, 2023, unless immediate funding is provided, and I ask that you lend your support to this or other transitional/bridge housing projects in Edmonton," Sohi wrote in a letter to Premier Danielle Smith on Aug. 2.
In an email statement to CBC News, Sohi said Edmonton has advocated for continued provincial funding of the site, but no further funding has been committed.
The province is investing in new shelter services, said Justin Marshall, chief of staff for the minister of seniors, community and social services, in an email to CBC News.
The province issued a call for interested operators to provide three types of emergency shelter services for people experiencing homelessness: temporary winter space, a shelter for women-only and an Indigenous-led shelter in Edmonton.
"Alberta's government will continue to work with our partners in Edmonton and across the province to ensure those in need have access to the critical supports they require," Marshall said.
Gap in services
Andrew Knack, councillor for Ward Nakota Isga, said the closure of JPWC bridge housing is a significant loss, particularly in the west end.
"We know that there's such a gap right now," Knack said, noting that city officials have been discussing the situation with the province.
"Their recent announcement on shelter beds is a huge step in the right direction," Knack said about the province's commitment.
But shelter beds are different from bridge housing, he added, which is the next step while working to find someone supportive or affordable housing.
"So you sort of need that spectrum of solutions," Knack said. "And so without any one of those, you can start to lose, you can start to have people fall through the cracks, and that's where it gets into a really troubling place."
JPWC continues to operate other programs, including the Canora Place permanent supportive housing and affordable housing projects.
The Tallcree Tribal Government leased the Bedfort hotel space to the centre, and Soroka said he would consider doing it again if the funding were in place and the hotel space available.
"I think we would be interested in continuing there because it was very successful," he said.
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