While homelessness has been a visible concern in Prince Albert for some time, in recent years the number has grown. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

Homeless shelter

Letters, petition on agenda as council considers shelter rezoning

Oct 5, 2024 | 6:00 AM

If the number of letters and signees to a petition are anything to go by, Monday’s meeting of the Prince Albert city council will not be tedious.

Two dozen letters and a petition are on the agenda raising concerns or in opposition to an application by the YWCA to rezone 420 18th Street West to accommodate a 45-bed homeless shelter.

Many residents of the West Hill/West Flat area turned out to a public meeting last week and now are more formally opposing the application.

A common thread in the letters is that residents feel they did not get enough notice and that the notice did not extend far enough.

City planning said at the public meeting that they doubled the distance required by legislation and sent out letters in the mail. A lot of residents in the neighbourhood – some renters, some outside the notification zone – said they found out through social media posts.

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Another common thread is that while all agree there needs to a shelter – somewhere – they are worried about the impact on their neighbourhood, both in terms of safety and property values.

A lot of residents raised concerns about the proximity to nearby schools.

While the staff recommendation is for council to pass the re-zoning, they also recommend that a neighbourhood advisory group meet every three months to talk about any impacts and concerns the shelter’s presence might bring up.

They also suggest that council make it a condition to have a report after one year that outlines statistical data and outcomes from shelter operations.

For its part, the YWCA has said that it will provide 24-hour security for a several block radius outside the building. They also pointed out in the public meeting that people sleeping rough in encampments will still be in the same places they are now as they refuse to use shelters because of the rules.

Several letters pointed out that there are existing issues with homeless people and things like finding used needles laying around.

YWCA staff also challenged the notion that a shelter will lead to increased crime, saying that most crime is done by gangs and not homeless people. They did acknowledge that their residents do have mental health and addiction issues but said that a shelter is the first step to getting them off the street and not being a problem in the future.

The organization said in its submission to council that the city is in real danger of having no shelter moving forward as they feel they have exhausted the alternatives. Every location they have identified has met with stiff opposition.

No councillor has made a public statement in favour of or opposing the rezoning so far. The fact that Monday is the last regular council meeting before the election is also of concern to residents who said they don’t want the decision made by councillors who won’t have to deal with the consequences.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com