Summerside approves new family shelter, but non-profit says more services still needed

A path has been cleared to allow for the construction of a new family emergency shelter geared toward women and their children in western P.E.I. 

Summerside council voted unanimously Monday night to rezone a portion of the city to allow LifeHouse to expand its services by building a new five-bed shelter. 

Shelby Pitre, the outreach co-ordinator for the organization, said the current shelter is often at capacity. LifeHouse, which is run with support of BGC Summerside, had to turn away around 80 women in 2024 because it was full.

"This rezoning for the shelter is absolutely incredible," Pitre said. "It just provides safety and security to women who wouldn't have had it otherwise."

Pitre said the expansion will add the shelter's first accessible room, and will offer both transitional and permanent housing options.

'Sad statistic'

JP Desrosiers, Summerside's chief administrative officer, said he was surprised to hear how many women had been turned away from the shelter last year. 

"As a resident and a representative of the City of Summerside, it's a sad statistic," he said. "I'm glad to see a local community group like the BGC to step up and provide services."

While the city hasn't opened shelters itself, Desrosiers said council has been supportive of the operators that have.

"I think, generally speaking, they're all doing a good job," he said. "I think that's noticed by the nearby residents, when we have a rezoning like [Monday] night and virtually no commentary to the contrary at all."

Elysha Whitlock, executive director of The Village Summerside, a non-profit dedicated to helping the vulnerable and unhoused population, echoed Derosiers' sentiments about LifeHouse.

"It's absolutely heartbreaking to hear that high volume has been turned away," Whitlock said.

"They can only do what they're able to do, and with the high volume they have helped, it's completely understandable that they just don't have the space."

She said The Village Summerside recently helped a woman and her child with a damage deposit on a rental home after they'd spent 18 days at a motel.

"You don't necessarily see unhoused families in park settings. Just because we're not seeing it, does not mean it's not there," she said. 

"Everybody's really struggling right now, and we've had to accept the fact that we've started assisting with damage deposits."

Whitlock said Summerside needs to have different types of support. She's advocated in the past for low-barrier shelters that serve people in active addiction, but said that can't always be possible

"Ideally in the future, perhaps there could be an option to open a low-barrier, strictly women's shelter for those females who aren't necessarily comfortable in a shelter environment," she said.

"For now, I think we've made great strides... and I am absolutely thrilled to hear the news of the new family emergency shelter opening up."

Staff with LifeHouse said they aren't sure when the new shelter will open, but that ideally they'd like to have it up and running by next year.