An emergency shelter in west Edmonton will open some of its beds Friday.
The City of Edmonton said 59 private rooms will open at a former hotel at 15540 Stony Plain Road, operated by Jasper Place Wellness Centre (JPWC), with a phased opening of the remaining 150 congregate beds over the next two months.
City council approved emergency funding for this shelter to the tune of $7.5 million in late November, with councillors calling the number of homeless people dying on the street and in tents a “crisis.”
The city said recent counts by Homeward Trust indicates more than 2,750 people in Edmonton are experiencing homelessness, with about 1,250 of them sleeping in emergency shelters or outside every night.
The shelter will provide access to daily meals, health services, harm reduction supports, case management support and will connect the users to a housing worker who will help them find something more permanent, according to the city.
“Every single Edmontonian deserves access to a safe and warm space, and that is exactly why this city council prioritized funding this shelter,” said Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi.
The beds opening Friday are for transitional housing clients, who can get admitted by referral through the Housing First program only, according to co-founder of JPWC, Taylor Soroka.
“A phased approach for us ensures people moving into the space can acclimatize to the space first and foremost and there’s also some capital investment that has to happen on the project site — just some renovation that has to happen to ensure the flow of the building happens nicely,” she said.
Housing First is a program run by Homeward Trust that moves people who are unhoused into permanent housing. Soroka said people in the program can struggle to keep appointments or get their possessions stolen because they are living rough on the streets.
“So having the transitional space in this building will ensure people can stay safe, stay warm, but also move quickly into housing because they’re easily accessible by their outreach workers.”
Soroka said she expects the transitional housing beds to be full by mid-February.
The emergency shelter part of the hotel will also work to connect users with housing by taking down the name and information of users, says Soroka.
Our goal is in that registration to build a relationship with them, understand their needs and start progressing them through the steps of housing if that’s what they want.”
There is not a set date for when the emergency shelter part of the project will open.
The shelter is owned by Tallcree Tribal Government and will provide the users with “culturally appropriate interventions,” according to Tallcree Tribal Government chief Rupert Meneen.
“We know that many First Nations people are experiencing homelessness,” said Meneen.
“Tallcree Tribal Government is pleased to work with Jasper Place Wellness Centre and the City of Edmonton to address this urgent need, connecting First Nation people and others in need to culturally appropriate interventions and services in a safe environment.
“By doing so, we’ll achieve better outcomes for all.”
A local advocate for homeless people said he is disappointed but not surprised that the emergency shelter beds are not yet open.
“Year after year, we see the same low priority on addressing the shelter needs of people that are living in homelessness,” said Jim Gurnett.
“It gets thought of at the very last minute, and then there’s complications and delays, and the people that lose out are the people that need the shelter.”
Gurnett said the number of unhoused people has been the same — around 2,500 — for at least a year, and approving the emergency shelter in November was too late.
“To be able to find adequate facilities and prepare them does take time, I totally understand that,” he said. “The failure is in not having acted early enough and understanding that the need was there long ago.”
Once fully operational, the shelter will accommodate 209 people. These city-funded spots bring the total of winter emergency shelter spaces to 1,281. The province funds 622 year round spots and funded 450 additional spots this winter.
The shelter is expected to be open until the end of May, according to the city.
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