The new location of a daytime shelter for those experiencing homelessness during the COVID pandemic is located at 425 N. Railway St. The green building, at the right of the picture, is the former location of the Mustard Seed and Champions Centre hot meal programs.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
A daytime shelter meant to give a destination for homeless people during the pandemic will reopen in another location Thursday with some operational changes meant to avoid potential complaints with neighbouring businesses.
The move to 425 N. Railway St., the former location of a separate hot meal program, comes after the original daytime shelter on Third Street downtown became the focus of complaints of rowdiness and intimidating behaviour from the clients.
A development appeal panel found that site ill-suited in the well-known business district and ordered the temporary permit to expire as planned on March 31 without the ability to renew.
On Tuesday, administrators announced the new location, which will operate until September following a grant extension, is better suited as it previously housed service provision for homeless population.
“It wasn’t available when we were doing the original site selection,” said Jaime Rogers, of the Medicine Hat Community Housing Society. Her group received an emergency grant last December to provide daytime space for overnight shelter users as public buildings and most private businesses closed due to pandemic health restrictions.
“Because of the emergency nature of the response we expanded (at the Third Street location) to include more social (service connections),” Rogers said, meaning they helped link anyone who attended with employment supports or other advice related to social services.
“Transitioning to the new location, we will be more restrictive (dealing with only) overnight shelter users and those who we know are sleeping rough (in the community),” she said, noting others who seek services will be referred to other service agency, but onsite help will not be provided.
The move comes after downtown area businesses complained that a storefront near the busy intersection of Third Street and Sixth Avenue was inappropriate to house the shelter, and that congregated users on the street intimidated staff and patrons. The City Centre Development Agency, which has neighbouring officers, filed an appeal of the development permit, issued in early January, and won the appeal in front of the subdivision and appeal board in February.
Rogers said the shelter has received an extension until the fall for provincial funding that was to expire this month.
Contract provider, McMan Youth, Family and Community Services, has already begun to contact businesses on North Railway about the change, said Rogers.
“It is a needed response to issues in the community about homelessness, isolation and mental health,” she said. “We hope the community will be cognizant of the need, and the need to keep people safe.”
The site was originally the location of the “Champions Centre,” a daytime facility for homeless men, before it was taken over last year by the Mustard Seed.
That group vacated the space this month, moving operations to its main location, a church on Allowance Avenue.
