The City of Grande Prairie plans to tackle homelessness with a second supportive housing facility by 2020 and a backup emergency shelter for this winter.

Neither project has a location selected yet.

Katherine Schmidt, supervisor for the city’s Housing and Homeless Initiative, spoke on these projects along with the results of the 2018-2019 Annual Report on Ending Homelessness during a public presentation Friday at Teresa Sargent Hall.

“Permanent supportive housing is a top priority that’s been identified,” Schmidt said during the presentation. “It is the most effective model for individuals who need onsite supports to maintain housing.”

Last fall, city council approved a two-year pilot project at Parkside Inn that turned the troubled hotel into supportive housing for vulnerable residents. The proposal was met with pushback from neighbouring businesses and residents, which included a failed appeal.

The Park Hotel now houses 38 individuals who have all had past experience with chronic homelessness.

“We’re learning lots from Parkside and other buildings across the province,” Schmidt said. “It’s key on having enough staffing and it’s also key in having Alberta Health Services addiction (and) mental health supports and not just assume that a worker is just going to walk into a building with complex needs and be able to do all of that.”

Schmidt noted that facilities of this type sometimes lead to decreases in police interventions and EMS responses since it allows those who are homeless to access services and supports onsite while getting them off the streets.

“Neighbourhoods oftentimes anticipate that there’s going to be a lot of issues in the neighbourhood and sometimes they’re actually quite surprised,” Schmidt said.

The city currently has a business case that outlines what a permanent supportive housing project should look like and what models should be considered. Schmidt added that they would focus on educating the community about the project and the supports that this facility will offers its tenants.

A winter strategy

The Homeless Initiative plans to have a second site for an emergency mat program ready for activation should the Rotary House shelter begin to reach maximum capacity this upcoming winter. The number of shelter users would be monitored on a daily basis.

Last winter, Rotary House went over capacity for the first time due to factors such as the opioid crisis and the booming economy of Grande Prairie. The shelter was later required to slash its emergency population once spring arrived in order to comply with fire regulations.

Schmidt stated that while the shelter currently had space to spare and investment should focus on housing, a more proactive approach needed to be taken.

“It’s going to be a different way of looking at it where we don’t have to predetermine, put in a whole bunch of money and have two mat programs,” she said. “But what we will do is be prepared and have it so it’s actionable immediately.”

A backup site would have to meet certain requirements, such as having bathroom facilities and being accessible for those with disabilities.

“We’re looking at where those sites potentially could be and where potential partners are,” Schmidt said, adding that they were also investigating funding possibilities and had put together a budget for a proper resource response.

The overall picture

A 2018 point-in-time count revealed that Grande Prairie had 228 people experiencing homelessness in a single night.

However, the presentation also highlighted the successes for the fourth year of its five year plan to end homelessness. The 2018-19 year saw 126 individuals given housing with support through the city’s Housing First program with 19 participants no longer needing the program.

Housing First also saw participants reduce their use of the health and justice systems. This includes a 73 per cent drop in EMS usage, a 77 per cent drop in visits to the emergency room and a 92 per cent drop in interactions with the police.

“It’s really about stopping the flow into homelessness, providing the supports as they move through the journey towards housing and then ensure once they’re in a house that they either have onsite supports or support workers coming into their homes to support them,” Schmidt said.