Homeless shelter’s fate hinges on emergency

RED DEER, Alta. — When a central Alberta city renewed its state of local emergency in response to rising COVID-19 cases, workers at an emergency shelter were overcome with relief.

It meant they wouldn’t be evicted from their temporary shelter in Red Deer at the end of September, forcing dozens of people experiencing homelessness back on the streets.

But with a 60-day extension, there are still fears clients will be thrown out next month when there is likely to be snow on the ground.

“We were in dire straits, but right now we have a partial exhale,” said Kath Hoffman, captain of Safe Harbour Society. The group operates the temporary shelter and accepts clients who use substances. Another Red Deer shelter is only open to those who are sober.

“Our extension for shelter will follow whatever that state of emergency is. When it gets lifted, we’ll be out. If it gets extended, we’ll stay.”

The expected closure propelled a staffing shortage for the agency, made even more difficult as clients face threats of COVID-19 and drug overdoses with an increasingly toxic street supply saturating Alberta.

Hoffman said the society has been navigating rocky waters for months. It’s a “nightmare” situation where hope hinges on a state of emergency.

The temporary shelter opened last March due to the pandemic. Provincial funding allowed Safe Harbour to open the additional shelter kitty-corner to its main building, which is not at risk of closing but doesn’t have much overnight capacity.

What used to be a bingo hall was transformed into a multipurpose space. During the day, physically distanced tables and chairs fill a large concrete room. They’re replaced with sleeping mats at night.

There’s also a COVID-19 isolation space and a nursing station. Across the street, there is access to an overdose prevention site and detox services. Staff monitor bathrooms for drug overdoses and store people’s belongings in a sectioned-off room called “the airport.”

On a brisk day in October, the shelter sees fewer people than usual because of an outbreak of COVID-19. There are two people covered in blankets in the isolation zone.

About 120 people are in and out daily, with 60 people typically sleeping there overnight.

Red Deer city council voted earlier in the year to shutter the temporary site, after businesses and residents complained of crime and loitering.

The concerns are fair, Hoffman said, but no one else is taking care of this population or is willing to house them.