Province has offered shelter funding but specifics lacking on full gov’t investment

By ZOE MASON on January 17, 2026.

ZOE MASON

The Mustard Seed homeless shelter has received further investment from the province as the City of Medicine Hat continues to struggle to establish a new permanent location for a dedicated daytime shelter.

The Mustard Seed’s Community Impact Centre closed last winter after the location was denied a development permit. In the interim, SafeLink began facilitating daytime drop-in services, but after the province denied it access to a federal funding pot, SafeLink says it may have to pull the plug on homeless support services.

The Premier’s Office told the News earlier this week that the provincial government has invested $4 million in Medicine Hat to community organizations combatting homelessness.

It had also made an additional $250,000 targeted investment in the Mustard Seed to expand capacity for the duration of the winter season.

“The winter response funding we’ve received has supported our ability to meet evolving needs in Medicine Hat by enhancing the use of our existing space and strengthening staffing and outreach, particularly during the most challenging winter conditions, while we continue to work with the city and province toward longer-term solutions,” said the Mustard Seed in a statement to the News on Thursday.

Amber Edgerton, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services, told the News the investment has nearly doubled capacity at the 24/7 shelter on Eighth Street SE.

The Mustard Seed did not confirm the extent of capacity expansions, nor did it respond to questions regarding the $4-million provincial investment.

Edgerton told the News the $4 million referred to in the premier’s statement is going to community organizations and local programs aimed at keeping individuals with a history of homelessness housed.

“A good portion of that, I imagine, would be going to the Mustard Seed, because it has year-round supports,” she said.

Medicine Hat Community Housing Society also receives provincial funding. Jaime Rogers, manager of the homelessness and housing development department, says they receive provincial funding as both a housing management body and a service provider of homelessness initiatives. Funding is to facilitate rent subsidies, for data management around homeless initiatives and for the Housing Link program.

Since MHCHS receives funding from both the federal and provincial governments through multiple channels for numerous initiatives, Rogers said it is difficult to specify the amount of provincial funding the organization received in the last fiscal year.

The Miywasin Friendship Centre, which also operates a housing support program, did not respond to a request for comment from the News about this funding in time for publication.

Overall, Rogers says Medicine Hat remains behind the targets for social and affordable housing established in the 2019 housing strategy developed with the City of Medicine Hat. She says the shortfall can be attributed to several factors.

“The cost of building has gone up, the cost of materials and parts has gone up, the availability of grant funding and financing from private and from provincial and federal entities,” said Rogers.

One area where the Community Housing Society has experienced some success is with its rent supplement program, which provides a top-up to between 750 and 800 households with support from the provincial government.

As of December, the wait list for social and affordable housing was 476 households. Rogers says this is about on-par with the average, which tends to hover around 450.

The 2019 housing strategy had aimed to reduce the wait list by 82 per cent by the year 2026.