The former Centre of Hope location on the 700 Block of Eighth Street in the South Flats has been purchased by the Mustard Seed to continue its operation as an overnight shelter location in the city.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The Mustard Seed will purchase its current overnight homeless shelter in Medicine Hat, ending worries about how the service would be provided this winter, but discussions about creating a 24-hour shelter space are still ongoing.
The organization announced Monday it would purchase the Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope building near Kingsway Avenue, which it has operated since April as the emergency overnight shelter.
That facility had been put up for sale earlier this month, but Mustard Seed officials stated that pending standard closing conditions, they will become the owner Oct. 1 and there will be no disruption.
“It’s not a permanent solution,” said Colette Eirich, executive director of the Mustard Seed in Medicine Hat, which is a contracted service provider with the province on a deal which ends next spring.
“We will continue to work on a permanent solution in April, but our first concern was the service with cold weather coming.”
Eirich said the building’s configuration is not preferable, and other locations may be examined. As well, the group which currently offers daytime drop-in space for the homeless at an Allowance Avenue centre, has said expanded shelter services are needed in the Hat.
“It’s a government priority to provide (24-hour) shelter programming in Medicine Hat – that’s typical (programming) across the province,” said Eirich.
The issue was touched upon earlier Monday during the meeting of city council’s public services committee, which has discussed the item since a proposal to redevelop a N. Railway Street storefront fell through in the summer.
“We are continuing to work with a variety of partners involved in this,” said division managing director Brian Mastel prior to the news of Monday’s sale.
“The government of Alberta is really the primary funder of the program and it works with the current provider, the Mustard Seed. They provide the service in a facility owned by the Salvation Army.
“We think good progress is occurring and there is definitely a commitment to see all three partners working to see the service continue.”
The Mustard Seed took over operating the shelter service in the space previously used by the Salvation Army. That building however, was put up for sale as planned in early September.
In the meantime, the Mustard Seed applied to redevelop a storefront on N. Railway into an overnight shelter. That application was withdrawn however, after objections from neighbouring businesses and a direction from the municipal planning commission to upgrade its consultation and mitigation plan.
