A national society is hoping to expand into the Lakeland in the coming months to address the issue of homelessness, specifically amongst men.
Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Alberta Chris Hay, as well as local members of the start up committee for the Cold Lake John Howard Society, were at Cold Lake City Council on March 24 to ask for support in starting a program for homeless men.
The idea first came up following the Envision Cold Lake needs assessment conducted in 2012 with the creation of the Men In Crisis Committee. The committee approached the John Howard Society of Alberta to consider forming a chapter in Cold Lake. After the city was accepted as a location for a new John Howard Society, the Men In Crisis Committee was concluded and a start up committee for the Cold Lake John Howard Society was appointed.
“There seems to be a real need in Cold Lake around homeless men, adult males,” said Hay. “Our goal really (for Cold Lake) is essential needs. So people don't starve to death or freeze to death.”
Hay said what they're hoping to start up is a mat program. The program would run seven days a week for 12 hours overnight. Men could show up and would be given a mat to sleep on, as well as a hot meal but they would need to leave by a certain time each morning. The building would be staffed by at least two people every night.
“We're starting small, with your basic needs of food and shelter…We're hoping that (the staff) will refer (the homeless men) to services – mental health or job services or whatever it is, then they'll seek those out and then be back the next night to sleep again,” explained Hay.
The John Howard Society has a total of 67 societies across Canada. They have been operating in Alberta since 1949 and currently have six separately incorporated societies in Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Red Deer. Should a John Howard Society open in Cold Lake, it would be it's own separate entity run by it's own Executive Director who would be responsible for securing funding for the local society.
Hay said at this stage, it's completely in the hands of City Council.
“I'm hoping for a three year commitment municipally, so that we can start to gather other funding sources so that we can slowly move away from municipal funding. If council doesn't come through with the funding, this doesn't go anywhere.”
To start a John Howard Society in Cold Lake, council would need to commit around $385,000 per year for the first two or three years. That cost covers everything from insurance, mats, food, the kitchen and the staffing costs, which run at about $275,000.
“It's obvious that we do have a homeless issue in Cold Lake, everybody knows it. The issue is how do you address it,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “The John Howard Society is looking at coming to Cold Lake and I think it has some merit…council will have to chew on it and see if it's a possibility.”
Not all councilors were on board with the prospect of starting a homeless shelter in the city. Councilor Bob Buckle voiced his concern around the possibility of the shelter creating a larger homeless problem instead of just fixing the current one.
“My concern is the issue of homelessness in the community. Will people now wander around downtown because there is somewhere to go?” said Buckle during the council meeting.
He added, “The risk side is huge. You're dealing with a lot of broken people who may have drug addictions or mental health issues, a lot of responsibility goes along with this.”
Hay ensured that while that is a valid concern, not only is it not found in the research that if you build a facility homeless will come, but also by having a facility it gives the community greater security.
“I'm not suggesting that homeless people are violent and criminal, in most cases they're not. If they were going to commit a crime, they're roaming around and have the ability to do that right now,” expressed Hay. “If we have this facility that they can't necessarily come and go at, then we have the ability to supervise them.”
While all of the details haven't been worked out yet, the committee members in attendance at the meeting expressed that they would like to see the building used be either right in downtown or at least within walking distance. Hay said once they get word from Cold Lake City Council if the project gets the green light, then they would start to work out policies and criteria for the local John Howard Society.
“Right now we don't have every finite detail. This isn't going to be a centre where just because you say ‘Hi, I'm here', it doesn't mean we're going to service you. We're going to have policies and criteria that determine who's most in need,” explained Hay.
With the John Howard Society operating for decades in a number of communities, Hay said everyone within the organization is very experienced with dealing any issue that could arise from the clients or the surrounding community. He noted that the Executive Directors from the Calgary and Edmonton John Howard Society's have offered to come to Cold Lake to help the project get started if it's a go.
“I think there's a true passion to why you're here,” said Coun. Darrell MacDonald. “I think (homelessness) is a problem. Even if it's just one person that comes, it's still a problem.”
Copeland explained that one of the issues with the Society's need for funding is that council has already passed the 2015 budget. If council decides this a project they want to support, he said they would also have to look at where to get the money.
Hay said that if they get a “yes” from city council, he hopes to have the Cold Lake John Howard Society operational by the winter of 2015. The issue will be back before council at an upcoming meeting.
