The homeless situation in Prince Albert continues. (Nigel Maxell/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Homeless

Decision on The Mustard Seed shelter delayed

Sep 22, 2022 | 8:00 AM

For the second time, city council delayed a decision on a proposal by The Mustard Seed to start a homeless shelter in Prince Albert.

Council wanted to know more about The Mustard Seed’s finances and had a concern about what would be done during the day.

Blake Edwards said the proposal is for the shelter to operate overnight which still leaves a gap.

“It’s in in the evening and out in the early morning and I feel it just doesn’t rectify a lot of the concerns that we have in the downtown area where they have no place to go in the daytime,” he said.

Mayor Greg Dionne in turn asked how stable the group’s funding is.

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“I think that’s important to us too that if we’re going to approve something and take some heat, that they have stable funding to make sure that they can operate and not come back to us and say, well we’re up and running but we didn’t get funding,” said Dionne.

Councillor Tony Head was supportive of the plan, saying he has been worried about what will happen with shelter for homeless people in the upcoming winter months.

“I’m really happy to see this back on our agenda. I’m a little worried it didn’t pan out the last time you had presented the location. I hope this one is more suitable.

Representatives from The Mustard Seed – a faith-based charity that is headquartered in Calgary but has multiple shelters in western Canada– first proposed to council in July that they open a 50-bed shelter in an empty shop along Central Avenue.

Council nixed the location, saying businesses in the downtown core did not support a shelter on that street but asked The Mustard Seed to return with a new location.

After looking at five alternate locations, they now propose 100 10 Street East after some discussion with the owner.

Last year, the Stepping Stones shelter was operated by the YWCA and had a 20-bed capacity, less than one-half what is being proposed by The Mustard Seed. The funding was temporary, however.

No announcement has been made yet on whether the shelter will re-open.

The PAGC also operated a daytime warming shelter over the winter months.

In the spring of 2022, a count of the homeless population in Prince Albert revealed that numbers had essentially doubled in one year from 26 to 57 people.

That is absolute homelessness, with no temporary shelter at all. When ‘couch surfers’ and those in other locations such as the women’s shelter are counted, the number reaches 120.

The Mustard Seed is expected to be back in front of council at their next regular meeting on September 26.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com