BONNYVILLE - Men in the Bonnyville area who don't have homes will be able to use the Bonnyville Friendship Centre (BFC) men's shelter for the next month while the centre continues to search for stable funding.
Councillors for the Town of Bonnyville agreed on Aug. 24 to help the shelter keep its doors open for the time being, at a cost of $15,000. That amount is a little bit less than the shelter's monthly operating costs.
The shelter has helped around 30 men over the last year, according to Megan Kwiatkowski, who presented to council on behalf of the shelter. It takes in clients from around the Lakeland area, though its first priority is clients within the town. Now, it has run out of money from a provincial grant and efforts to secure other sources of revenue have not yet had success.
She said the funds provided would cover rent, utilities, insurance and staff wages.
Kwiatkowski said the shelter received temporary funding through the province's community initiatives grant program last year that allowed it to open initially. Despite the success of the program, though, they haven't yet succeeded in securing more funds. The funding they do have is expected to run out in September.
She said the shelter has also written to the MD of Bonnyville, asking for $50,000 in funding.
Kwiatkowski read a letter from BFC community initiatives co-ordinator Janet Gobert describing some of the ways the shelter has improved the lives of its clients. While the shelter hasn't had success helping every client, it has made a “tangible difference” in the lives of others, she said.
“There is a man that comes to us, encompassed in addiction, who is now clean and sober, gainfully employed and now volunteers at our centre of his own accord,” she said.
"Another case that comes to mind is a gentleman who quit drinking, accessed our homeless shelter and was able to gain employment at a camp, and informed our staff that if it had not been for the shelter and being able to access our services, he would not be alive today, as he had been contemplating suicide prior to accessing our services.”
The BFC had originally requested $50,000 from the town to cover three months of operating expenses, but several councillors said they didn't feel comfortable funding that amount right now – the shelter was initially started as a six-month pilot project in September 2020, and its development permit expired Jan. 31. Additionally, some councillors worried that if the BFC doesn't secure long-term funding, council could be forced to make a decision in January about whether to fund the shelter further or force people out into the cold.
The $15,000 council agreed on was accompanied by a request that the BFC come back to council with a more in-depth presentation on their financial needs.
Town of Bonnyville Mayor Gene Sobolewski said he sees the shelter as a very valuable service but stressed the importance of long-term funding. He suggested the town have discussions with the provincial government to lobby for funds.
“I think with the lobbying efforts of the town, we might be able to try and assist in that regard as well, because I think we need to take an active role on something that's otherwise just going to continue to be downloaded onto us,” he said.
Several councillors expressed their support of the shelter as well, but also wanted to see a long-term plan and more financial information before committing to a larger funding amount.
“The danger here is, if the province doesn't come through, if you don't get any grants, this is liable to be a town operation to the tune of $200,000 a year,” said Coun. Ray Prevost. “I fear that this might end up being a town program.”
Sobolewski said he thinks there is a very good possibility that the town may need to become a major partner in order to keep the shelter open. He likened a lack of provincial funding to other services that have fallen more and more on municipalities' shoulders, such as costs of policing.
“If it's important enough as a shelter – and this is a very important service provided to the community – this may be something council will need to delve into, because we don't exactly have affordable housing in this community, and we don't have that interim bridging when individuals are trying to get out of some of the lifestyles they're in,” he said.
“This is something I think is a much broader issue council needs to consider.”
