First of four meetings scheduled for tonight at the Ches Leach Lounge
Uko Akpanuko, Daily Herald
Representatives from The City of Prince Albert, the YWCA as well as a panel of community stakeholders will be on hand to answer questions about address key issues when residents gather for the first of four homeless consultation meetings Wednesday night. The goal is to receive feedback from residents about where Prince Albert should place a new permanent homeless shelter. However, it’s also a chance for organizations like the YWCA to make their case for the best shelter location.
“Our message that we hope to get across to members the public … is to focus on who we are, what the shelter is, what the Stepping Stones is, the clientele they serve, the need for a permanent shelter sooner rather than later, and the services our clients use so that the public can have an informed opinion,” Donna Brooks the CEO of YWCA Prince Albert said. “That’s what we’re looking at. That will be our role, providing all the education we can.”
An Enhanced Emergency Shelter is a 24-hour shelter for people experiencing homelessness. It provides a safe space where they can have their basic needs met, such as food, shelter, and hygiene.
It is also a place where they can receive support with mental health, addictions, and access positive activities such as life-skills programming. The goal of the shelter is to support individuals to find dignity, self-esteem, and help to find long term housing.
Brooks said there are a lot of mitigating things put into place to ensure the shelter is a good neighbour, but added their goal was to keep the development out of residential areas.
“We don’t want to put a shelter in a residential neighborhood, I will say that upfront” Brooks said. “That’s not an interest of YWCA. We don’t believe a shelter belongs in a residential neigbourhood, so any neighborhood that we would be in will be non-residential. (That’s) what I’m hoping for.
“Now that’s not to say that there isn’t residential neighbourhood within a few hundred meters …, but not right in the heart of a residential neighborhood. Whatever neighborhood that the shelter is, it needs to be close the services that the clients access.”
She also added that well run shelters don’t cause problems for the neighbourhoods they’re located in, and YWCA has been running shelters without causing problems for years.
“We believe we run our shelters well,” Brooks said. “You hear in the news about the ones that go wrong, but you don’t hear about the ones that go right…. You don’t hear about the success stories. You only hear about the negative in the news, so we want to re-write that narrative and be able to help people make an informed decision.”
Wednesday’s meeting is one of four consultations aimed at sharing information and gathering feedback from across the community. The dates and venues for the workshops are Wednesday, Jan. 15 at the Ches Leach Lounge, Art Hauser Centre, 5:30p.m. – 7:30p.m; Monday, Jan. 20 at the Midtown Community Club, 5:30p.m. – 7:30p.m; Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the Alfred Jenkins Field House, 5:30p.m. – 7:30p.m and Thursday, Jan 30 at PAGC Urban Services, 5:30p.m. – 7:30p.m.
“It is clear that finding a location for a permanent shelter location is a priority for our community,” said Mayor Bill Powalinsky in a press release.
“We need broad consultation to ensure we are hearing all points of view before we make a final decision. With good information, we can ensure we have a good plan to support the shelter once a final location is determined. I encourage all residents to consider taking part in this opportunity.”
For those who are unable to attend but would like to provide input, an online survey will be prepared and made available once finalized.
–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
