Dear Stakeholder
With days getting colder and nights longer, we are very aware of the fact that there is no emergency shelter option for unhoused folks in Athabasca and area.
While we were waiting on our incorporation, we spent time researching mat programs, emergency shelters and other solutions.
Even though we all went into this research knowing that we have a big task ahead of us in opening a program, we of course learned that there is much more to a project like this than just setting up and opening the doors.
Our first contact on the subject was the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre. Executive Director Laureen Houle gave us some very useful and eye-opening info on the mat program the ANFC ran last winter, which was funded by a special COVID-19 harm reduction grant. Some of the issues she identified were location, staffing, funding and insurance. We are very grateful to Laureen for the important information she has shared with us. It really gave us a heads up on what hurdles we face in providing emergency shelter solutions.
Next, we spoke to Emily Hickman, FCSS Program Assistant & Homelessness and Poverty Reduction Coordinator, Drayton Valley and District FCSS. Drayton Valley FCSS had been running a MAT program and Emily was happy to give us her lessons learned. They were lucky to have space provided, but funding had run out and they were no longer going to be running the program. Funding is one of the biggest roadblocks.
We also found some great info coming out of Edson, AB. Over the summer, they opened some unstaffed sleeping pods on town land being used by Edson & District Recycling Society. They partnered with the Edson Friendship Centre on the project. Check it out here:
