A not-for-profit organization operating a shelter for homeless people in Peace River is asking the community to rally behind them to get the town’s mayor and council to reconsider a recent decision.
Sagitawa Friendship Society requested a letter of support from Peace River council to help obtain funding to operate Out of the Cold Shelter, a shelter that provides 24/7 access through winter months to homeless individuals in the community.
The shelter allows people to stay overnight, have a meal, do laundry, and find access to different support services in the region. It is also a wet shelter, meaning that clientele can come to the facility for shelter even after utilizing intoxicants.
“Over the past two years, the shelter has operated on a 24/7 basis, and during that same period, council has consistently received concerns from residents and business owners related to theft, loitering, harassment, and overall disorder in the downtown area,” explains Peace River Mayor Shelly Shannon as to the decision of council to not provide a support letter.
“While the shelter is not solely responsible for these issues, its current operating model has contributed to increased challenges.”
Shannon explains there have been multiple discussions with Sagitawa regarding the operational changes council expects in order to support the facility.
“As it stands, the current approach is not producing positive outcomes for the broader community, and council cannot endorse a model that has not demonstrated effectiveness or willingness to evolve,” Shannon says.
“Council is deeply concerned about community safety and wellbeing, including the safety of vulnerable individuals during extreme weather,” she adds.
“However, it is important to acknowledge that during the last two years of 24/7 shelter operations—with program- ming in place—the community still experienced approximately $2.3 million in crime and vandalism, along with ongoing public safety issues.”
In a letter to Sagitawa, Shannon cites many items council would like to see. One is council would like to see the shelter transition to a dry shelter model. Council’s feeling is that transitioning to a dry shelter model could help reduce some of the illegal and nuisance activities occurring near the facility.
“Council has a responsibility to ensure that any organization operating a shelter in our community upholds clear, consistent standards of safety and accountability,” Shannon writes in her letter.
“When situations arise where there is no reasonable doubt about a client’s behaviours, there must be consequences. Allowing individuals to remain in the facility without accountability, undermines both the safety of staff and well-being of other clients.”
Sagitawa Friendship Centre executive director Marissa Geldart says although clients can come to the facility intoxicated, she expresses they cannot do any of the substances on site and that they are expected to complete an intake process. If they are unable to do the intake process, RCMP is called.
Geldart adds in communities where there are dry shelters, there are also wet shelters available for individuals who require them. This is notthe case in Peace River, if Out of The Cold were to transition to a Dry Shelter model.
“What we’ve been told by the Town is that there are public spaces that people can go: Baytex Energy Centre, Provincial Building, mall or other public spaces,” says Geldart. “The problem with that is for a lot of our clientele that is not an option as they’ve been banned or not allowed at certain businesses. I’m not sure what the option is for them.”
Geldart says on Nov. 1 the shelter started opening from 10 p.m. until 8 a.m., but now that council has declined the letter of support for funding, Sagitawa will not get funding for 24-hour shelter provision for the winter months. She adds that because they have limited staff and limited funding, they can only be open through nighttime hours, and are not able to provide reprieve from the cold during daytime.
“Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of options in our community,” Geldart explains.
“We do have a lot of clientele coming into our office and when we’re open 8:30 until 4:30, but now – unfortunately – we cannot offer a full-time warming space because we don’t have enough staff . . . the Town doesn’t have any policy on cold weather warming centres or anything like that, even when it gets extremely cold there is no plan in place for that time, either.”
Shannon says council is aware of the concerns raised and says they are taking them seriously.
“At the same time, council has a responsibility to ensure that residents feel safe in their downtown and that businesses can operate without fear of disruption or harm,” Shannon says.
“This decision is not anti-shelter; rather, it reflects the community’s expectation that such facilities operate in a way that balances compassion with accountability,” she adds. “At present, those expectations are not being met.”
Council is also asking that Sagitawa limit the length of stay individuals have at the shelter, noting that the shelters are intended to be transitional support, not permanent solutions.
“Many shelters, including women’s shelters, have defined length-of-stay policies and clear expectations for clients,” says Shannon.
“These parameters help encourage movement toward longer-term housing and stability while maintaining accountability within the system.”
Geldart says with a rather cold December, Sagitawa Friendship Centre has noticed a large increase in demand for services.
“We know that the shelter is needed, and we know that now there are high risk clientele in the elements,” Geldart says.
“From Nov. 1 to Dec 16, I did the stats for the shelter, and we’ve served 90 unique individuals at the shelter with 565 service visits . . . there are community members that need it, but town council doesn’t seem to want to budge on this one.”
Geldart says calls have also had to be made to EMS regarding concerns of frostbite and she’s also been told of many community members having to call EMS for street people regularly.
Geldart is hopeful council will acknowledge their request for another meeting to discuss these issues and says it would be helpful for community members to write letters of support for the facility, and to write the mayor and council expressing concerns.
At this juncture, Shannon says there has been strong feedback on both sides of the issue.
“In fact, concerns about downtown safety and shelter accountability were the first issue raised with all seven newly-elected councillors, even ahead of affordability concerns,” says Shannon.
“This demonstrates that a significant portion of the community has tried to support the shelter but has grown frustrated by the lack of accountability and effective solutions. Council has spoken directly with residents who disagree with this decision, and while there may be differing opinions, those conversations have been respectful and constructive.
“Council stands by its decision based on the information and lived experience of the community.”
Out of the Cold Shelter and Sagitawa are also actively accepting donations to help with the services they provide. If you would like to donate, or would like more information on how you can support their initiative to reopen a 24-hour shelter service, please phone the office at (780) 624-2443.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
Why don’t the nearby Reservations contribute to this as many clients are their members?