Donna Brooks, CEO of the YWCA, talked to a group of residents of the West Flat and Hill neighbourhoods about their plans to put a homeless shelter on 18th Street West. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Proposed shelter location

West Hill/Flat residents not keen on proposed shelter location

Sep 27, 2024 | 4:14 PM

A public meeting into a re-zoning that would allow a homeless shelter to be created at 420 18th Street West was met with many questions and concerns from homeowners in the area.

Frustration was evident from both the residents and the YWCA, which has been looking for a location for four years.

“We understand that there’s fears and there’s going to be no area in the city that we’re not going to have to face the ‘not in your backyard’. It’s just how it is and it’s like that all across Canada,” said Donna Brooks, CEO of the YWCA.

The organization operates the women’s shelter in Prince Albert and has run a temporary shelter out of the Exhibition Centre grounds for several years.

They have funding for a permanent shelter from the province but have been met with resistance from the residents of every location they have found that might be suitable. The shelter would have 45 beds.

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Brooks explained as an organization, they are nearly at the end of their rope when it comes to the men’s shelter but wants people to be aware of the alternatives to having no shelter at all.

The YWCA has bought this building on the border of the West Flat and Hill neighbourhoods with the hopes of turning it into a homeless shelter. Residents in the area have their doubts, however. (Susan McNeil/paNOW Staff)

Along the street to the north are mainly industrial buildings with several homes. To the south is a strip of trees which will remain but 19th Street West is a residential street;

“It’s worse if people aren’t housed, it’s worse if there’s no shelter for anybody and I think everybody in Canada should have a choice,” Brooks said.

She and other shelter staff at the meeting in the foyer of City Hall on Sept. 26 said there is misconception about the clients using shelter services.

Records show that of the 812 people who used the Stepping Stones shelter at the Exhibition since it opened during the pandemic, 61 moved into housing, 11 sought treatment, nine found jobs, 19 registered for school or training and 26 sought professional help for mental health or addictions.

Not all people are in the shelter because of addictions either, although some certainly are. Some were there because they were evicted, some have mental health disorders, several have acquired brain injuries, some were fleeing violence and some were working but unable to maintain a dwelling.

Others had their homes burned down, some had disabilities and others were pregnant or brought there by other agencies such as the police.

The YWCA already owns the building but needs city council to re-zone it before it can be used as a shelter. As is required by law, the city must notify neighbouring properties about the change of use. The issue will be on the council agenda for October 7, the last one before the municipal election.

One or two questioned the notification process for the meeting.

In this case, Director of Planning Craig Guidinger said they doubled the required distance for notifying landowners. Renters do not receive notifications and would need to be informed by the property owner of the hearing.

Some property owners said that their neighbourhood is starting to recover from a lack of young families and more children are living in the area.

They said that a previous rezoning made that area less attractive for families looking to invest in a home and wanted to know why they are now facing another setback to their community safety.

One woman said the fact that four councillors are not running again does not give her a lot of confidence that they will vote with the long-term interest of the neighbourhood in mind.

One parent expressed concern about their young children playing in the area with increased traffic. Others were worried about property values.

The current councillor for that ward, Terra Lennox-Zepp was at the meeting along with several other councillors. She mentioned that she is aware of one person running in the ward (Troy Parenteau) and the residents are free to contact him too.

An observer who used to be an analyst for the Prince Albert Police said that she looked into crime stats when Homeward Bound opened on Branion Drive.

Residents had the same crime concerns when it first opened so she waited a significant amount of time and looked at the crime stats for that area.

Car thefts and anti-social behaviour went down drastically and crime in general reduced in the eight to 10 blocks surrounding the facility.

The woman said she lives near the current shelter and has seen that it is not shelter residents causing problems.

“It is gang bangers, and it is those who are a threat to public health and safety and cannot stay in a shelter. That’s a separate concern.”

As part of their operating conditions for the temporary shelter, the city requires the YWCA to provide security 24-hours per day. Brooks said those security officers would patrol the new location too, extending several blocks past the building site.

It’s also not accurate to assume that because a group of people is hanging out in an area that they are homeless. They may just be lounging and visiting, she said.

The YWCA has one back up location in mind on the south side of 15th Street East, across from the Venice House and near the viaduct. The downtown business district has expressed very strong opposition to that location.

Wherever the shelter is located, or if it goes ahead at all, is now in the hands of city council.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com