(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Dawson Thompson

Overnight Shelter

Stepping Stones Shelter to re-open tonight

Jul 14, 2021 | 12:00 PM

After being closed since April, the Stepping Stones Shelter is re-opening tonight due to funding from the Prince Albert Grand Council and the Saskatchewan Metis Nation.

The total funding was around $165,000 which will be about $80 per person, per night.

Stepping Stones has twenty beds to address the need for overnight shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness. It also provides services including laundry services, meals provided by the Prince Albert Grand Council, showers, and a safe place to sleep.

Individuals who stay at the shelter are also offered referrals to YWCA Prince Albert’s Homeward Bound program to move them rapidly into housing.

“This gives people somewhere to go for the rest of the summer,” Donna Brooks, CEO of YWCA Prince Albert told paNOW.

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“It’s just timely that it is going to re-open in light of the recent heat wave. Heat is also dangerous to people, not just cold. We need a year round shelter in Prince Albert.”

Everything at the shelter was still set-up from the spring as they were anticipating the funding this summer.

“It was just a matter of re-cleaning, re-stocking, and re-staffing,” Tonya Kleinert, supervisor at the shelter told paNOW.

There has been no shelter for people to go to after the temporary closure in the spring.

“A little bit of panic was setting in for where people would go,” Kleinert said. “I really think it will be a positive thing to get people out of the heat, off the street and give them somewhere safe for a place to sleep, rather than on the riverbank.

“We’re opening up in the midst of our second heat wave. Hopefully we can cool the place down enough at night where they are comfortably sleeping, and get a break from the sun.”

Mandatory masking will still be required at Stepping Stone because of the high risk for transmission due to it being a come-and-go shelter.

The shelter will re-open tonight at 8:00 p.m. at the Exhibition grounds and will be open seven days a week from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. until October 14, 2021.

On October 15, 2021, Our House will be re-opening the Cold Weather Shelter in their basement, that will be open for the entire 2021-2022 winter season.

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Dawson.thompson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @dawsonthompson8