(Jaryn Vecchio/paNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Helping The Homeless

P.A. council approves temporary homeless shelter for rest of winter

Jan 25, 2022 | 9:00 AM

A temporary overnight shelter is being set up to help Prince Albert’s homeless population.

City council met on Monday where they approved turning Moose Lodge, the community’s only warmup centre, into a 20-bed shelter until the end of April.

The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), which operates the centre, came up with the idea as they’ve noticed too many people spending the night out in the cold.

“It’s needed and I applaud the Grand Council for taking on that challenge,” said Councillor Tony Head.

The new shelter means they’ll be around 40 beds available every night for the next three months.

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The Stepping Stones shelter, run by the YWCA, has had to turn people away due to the lack of space. When this happens, they call the Prince Albert mobile crisis unit to see if they can help the person find a warm place to stay.

The PAGC has outlined measures they’ll implement to ensure everyone’s safety. This includes having at least three trained staff in the building at all times, each having access to a panic button in the case of an emergency and coordinating a plan with Prince Albert police.

Shelter Funding

Council rejected a motion that would have sent $10,000 to the PAGC to help operate Moose Lodge.

Mayor Greg Dionne outlined several reasons why he voted against the idea, the main one being that the request didn’t come from the grand council.

Even if the PAGC asked, Dionne noted he’d still be against the idea as funding for homelessness initiatives isn’t their responsibility.

He stated if they were to provide funds now, the provincial and federal governments, who are responsible for homeless services, might expect the city to contribute to every single project.

“We know our responsibilities… we should stay in our wheelhouse.”

Head, who brought the idea forward, didn’t fully agree with this rationale.

“We heard (Monday) evening that it’s not our problem, it’s federal, it’s provincial, it’s not a municipality’s role, however, being that these are our citizens it is our role. We do have a stake involved and it’s important we look after our most vulnerable.”

City Supporting Homeless

Dionne, along with Councillor Dennis Ogrodnick, took time during Monday’s meeting to try and ensure the public they do care for the homeless despite voting against Head’s motion.

The city did help the PAGC secure funding from the province for the lodge. City Manager Jim Toye, along with Geoff Despins, Director of Urban Services for the PAGC, worked together to receive $88,000.

Dionne added the first approval for the shelter back in December was one of the quickest done in the city’s history.

“Within one day we rezoned, which is unheard of.”

Each stated they’ll continue to support the PAGC and other community groups who help the homeless, but they can’t provide funding every time someone asks.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow