Our House gets City’s top honours for cold weather shelter

“Last year, we had the coldest winter on record, 2013-2014, and we had no freezing deaths. And one of the main reasons, in talking to the chief of police [Troy Cooper] was, of course, Our House, because they had a place to take them when they [police] picked them up. Detox would be full. You don’t want to take them to cells. So, with the co-operation of the Y[WCA], the cot program was started in our city.”

Our House launched the cold weather shelter late last year, and it was in part a response to freezing deaths that occurred the previous winter. It received funding from the Northern Lights Development Corporation, the Prince Albert Grand Council, the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region, and three provincial ministries.

The Prince Albert YWCA does have some funding left from last year to work with this year, according to CEO Donna Brooks. She was on hand to accept the award on behalf of the organization.

She added that they are in the process of securing funding for this coming winter. “I’m confident that we’ll secure funding,” she said. “If we don’t secure funding for this year, then we’ll visit that then.”

Right now, she said they are looking at a couple of different funding sources, including the ministry of social services and the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.

“I’ll know more within the next couple of months, but we’re opening for sure on … Oct. 15.”

The program launched at the tail end of December, and on its first night in operation, Our House manager Edna Bruce said there was one person there.

But then the number of occupants grew. She said that on the next night, there were five people using the cots, and then they were full from then on.

“And sometimes people would leave at three in the morning and then somebody else would come,” Bruce said.

The program was something that a few came to rely on for the rest of winter, Bruce indicated.

“We had a few that were there just about every night,” she said.

“It didn’t change anybody’s life. I mean, let’s face it, the people that are using the cot program are there because they are homeless and have alcohol or drug addictions or whatever. A safe, warm bed is a good thing, but it’s not going to change their li[ves]. They need more help than that.”

While the program itself doesn’t offer addictions counselling to those who use it, the shelter’s staff provides information about where they can go for help.

Many of the people who use the program also have mental health issues, Bruce said. They are not able to stay in a regular structured environment and this program suits them “pretty good,” she added.

Although the program has been well-used and relied upon, there are no plans to expand the number of beds that are offered.

Bruce said there’s no more room to expand to. The program is currently operated out of the lower level of Our House on 15th Street East.

“[It] would be nice to have it in a location that was ground-floor… I mean we’re an old office building that got set up for it, so we’re doing the best we can with what we got.”

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames

by Thia James

Our House gets City’s top honours for cold weather shelter

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