Prince Albert city council did not move forward with a proposed location for a homeless shelter. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Homeless strategy

Over before it started: no seconders on shelter rezoning

Oct 7, 2024 | 9:19 PM

A required public hearing to rezone a property on Prince Albert’s 18th Street West was over before it began.

After moving first reading, no councillor would second Dawn Kilmer’s motion, ending the matter.

“We came prepared to talk about it but we didn’t get to talk about why we think it would be a good location,” said YWCA CEO Donna Brooks. “But that’s OK. We just don’t understand what the next steps are but the city is going to reach out to us.”

Along with a public hearing, three readings are required to re-zone property.

Around 100 members of the public, including at least two people running for council in the upcoming election showed up in person at the meeting.

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The city received 25 letters of opposition to the shelter. Many of the residents of 19th and 20th Streets suggested that a property on 15th Street East near Access place would be a better location.

READ MORE: The YWCA has been trying to find a permanent shelter location for some time.

The YWCA has attempted to buy and rezone property downtown and was met with stiff opposition from the business community.

In her last regular meeting, Ward 2 councillor Terra Lennox Zepp tried to make a motion to expplore rezoning the unit block of 15th Street East to allow for a shelter in that area.

While council has authority over zoning, existing properties generally only change when the landowner applies.

Council quickly dismissed that idea and the YWCA does not own land in that area.

Brooks told paNOW that they will use the property on 18th Street West as a shop and training facility, which was their backup plan if the move to create a shelter failed.

They have looked at six properties in the last four years with the goal of making a shelter but have been met with defeat everytime, generally before the public even gets wind of it.

“We are going to leave it up to council to find a location,” Brooks said. “The important thing is that someone makes a decision.”

Their existing lease with Exhibition Association is month to month and can be canceled at any time, leaving the city with no emergency shelter space at all as winter fast approaches.

Mayor Greg Dionne said the city will work with the YWCA to come up with a location.

“Absolutely we are but it was obvious by the response from the crowd that was here that we were not going to approve that location,” he said.

“At the end of the day, you can’t force a location of this magnitude on anyone.”

The YWCA wants to open a 45 bed emergency shelter for men and women. They are not eligible to stay at other shelters as they must be sober to go in those ones.

However, Brooks said that occasionally people who have been evicted or suddenly become homeless will use the emergency shelter as well.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com