Volunteer group forms to explore growing need for safe shelter in Three Rivers, P.E.I.

They wish they didn't need it, but it's now a necessity. 

That's the message from a newly formed volunteer group in Three Rivers that's advocating for a safe shelter for people experiencing homelessness in the eastern P.E.I. municipality. 

Norma Dingwell, co-founder of Community Action for Safe Shelter, said the number of people living rough in the town has been growing. 

"For the people that have their eyes open, we can see where the homeless are."

Dingwell, who also manages the Montague Food Bank, and others in the community have seen anecdotal evidence for a few years now that the need for a safe shelter in Three Rivers might be growing. 

Now they hope to gather some data to back up that feeling. 

Community Action for Safe Shelter recently received a $9,000 grant from the province to hold public consultations, explore what other areas are doing, and write a report on what Three Rivers needs to address homelessness. 

Dingwell said the group is aware of about seven people who are unhoused in the community. She said at least two people are living in their cars, and some are women who have escaped domestic violence situations. 

"We keep saying, 'Don't stay in abusive relationships… there's help out there.' So when they do have the strength to get up and leave, there is no shelter for them in this end of the Island," Dingwell said.

The province's community assessment report for Kings County in late 2023 did not include a recommendation for an emergency shelter in the area. It said people should call the province's emergency shelter support line to access services.

The nearest emergency shelters are located in Charlottetown. 

'We absolutely need a shelter'

Susan Hartley, a co-founder of Community Action for Safe Shelter, said having to travel to a shelter far from their home community is a barrier for some people. 

"This is where their support system is, this is where their family is," she said. "If we were in hospital and we were sick, we would want our family to be able to visit us, we would want our support system to be there for us. 

"People need to be where their… emotional or physical supports are."  

While it's becoming clear that an emergency shelter is needed in Three Rivers, Hartley said rural homelessness is less visible and needs different solutions than urban areas do.

The group thinks a shelter is only a temporary fix, with the long-term solution being more permanent housing for those who need it. 

"Poverty is the greatest predictor of mental distress, as is homelessness. If we can tackle homelessness, then we're going to make our communities healthier, as well as the people within our community healthier," Hartley said. 

"We absolutely need a shelter, but as a community we don't want to be in the position where we actually have people in need of emergency shelter."