After a lot of back-and-forth with the city and mixed feelings in the community, Wetaskiwin's Hope Mission is continuing with Phase 1 construction of its new permanent shelter and aims to open in summer, 2025.
Phase 1 will include a kitchen, dining hall and emergency shelter.
"When the project is completed, we will be better equipped to serve our community members," said Hope Mission chaplain Rev. Kelly Row in a press release.
In May of 2023, Wetaskiwin city council approved the development permit for the Hope Mission emergency shelter and transitional housing facility based on a preliminary site plan.
The city approved the shelter’s development plan, but when the shelter added some additional spaces to the building, it went back to the council for approval.
At a council meeting on Dec. 11, 2023, a number of local residents spoke against the shelter, saying the location was too close to businesses who were already struggling. There were concerns a permanent shelter could lead to an increase in crime in the area.
"Council heard concerns from the community about the number of beds that were proposed for the shelter," said Mayor Tyler Gandam in an email interview.
"Although, some very high numbers were caused by the sharing of misinformation, council felt it was important to look after the community needs as well as address the concerns shared by the community."
Council voted to investigate options to pause building permits for the shelter for 120 days but the motion was ultimately defeated.
In January, 2024, the city's legal counsel advised there were no legal means for the city to delay a building permit for the Hope Mission.
On May 13, 2024, a motion carried 4-2 to rescind the shelter's direct control permit, however, Hope Mission had already broken ground on the shelter and construction continued.
In June 2024, Gandam clarified via a statement that the city did not have any legal means to stop the construction and that council was waiting on a legal opinion.
On June 10, council reversed the decision to rescind the development permit.
"We have been hearing both positive and negative feedback from the community about the shelter. We will continue to work with our community to address the concerns as well as the social issues we have," said Gandam.
By August, the shelter's foundation had been laid, the walls had been framed and roof instalment was underway, according to Jason Pyle, who was the community engagement liaison at the time.
The current shelter is capped at 42 overnight clients, and the new shelter will hold at least 50, dependant on fire codes once the building is completed, Pyle said.
"Any support that we have been able to receive over the past five years has been welcomed by council," saidi Gandam when asked if the increase of eight beds would be enough to meet the current needs.
"We have had a high number of social concerns in our community for a long time – having the province invest and help address some of the concerns is important to Wetaskiwin."
The new shelter will have offices for counselling, a dining hall and kitchen, as well as storage rooms and other basic amenities.
In the fall, funding for Phase 2 of the project, which would be a transitional housing wing of the facility, was denied.
"We are still exploring our options for funding for Phase 2," said Row. "It will include dorm rooms on the main floor, and bachelor suites on a second floor. We need the transitional housing options to help get people out of the shelter, and into recovery programs, or market housing."
In 2024-25, Seniors, Community and Social Services provided $2,225,000 in operational funding to Hope Mission for 50 beds in their 24/7 emergency homeless shelter.
"This is year-round funding," said Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin MLA Rick Wilson. "Alberta's government is deeply committed to supporting the homeless population in the province and creating safe and hopeful futures for those in need."
The province recently announced $350 million in funding to build 11 recovery communities for adults and $23 million to establish the Northern Alberta Youth Recovery Centre in Edmonton, opening in 2026.
According to Row, the current shelter in Wetaskiwin continues to operate at capacity every night.
The shelter's Registered Psychiatric nurse Marie Dressler is onsite Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Casual staff cover the days she isn't at the shelter.
"In any given day I may be doing mental health crisis intervention, provide wound care, assist with transportation, deal with a medical emergency, help fill prescriptions, and complete referrals to a variety of community agencies," said Dressler.
Those that see people loitering or intoxicated in public are invited to call Hope Mission's Rescue Van at 587-338-1029. The van will then transport people to the shelter.
According to Hope Mission, the van is dispatched about 275 times a month.
The shelter is always in need of warm clothing, hygiene items, colouring books and art supplies and games, as well as monetary donations, which can be dropped off at any time.
