City council has given its approval to a downtown homeless shelter following a special session of council held Monday.
Councillors unanimously approved the resolution approving a discretionary use application by the Battlefords Indian Métis Friendship Center to develop a homeless shelter at 960 -103rd St., subject to the condition the development be discontinued on or before May 15, 2011 and that continued operation of the shelter be considered as a new application.
What it all means is the homeless shelter would operate for this winter only and that any attempt to continue beyond May would be considered a new application and would need to come back to council for approval. As well, a resolution was passed where administration would meet with the officials from the Battlefords Indian Métis Friendship Center to discuss an appropriate strategy for security and supervision in the neighbourhood.
That resolution addressed concerns from some councillors who wanted direction given to the RCMP to step up their security in the area where the shelter would be operating.
The plan is for the centre to operate during the evenings with hours of operation from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. to provide a place for homeless people to spend the night. Two night attendants would be on duty to ensure the safety of clientele.
The people they work with range from age between 12 and 75. The Indian Métis Friendship Center also currently operates a breakfast program, with the majority who attend being homeless.
While council's vote was unanimous in the end, the decision to approve the homeless shelter did not come without considerable discussion. Councillor Trent Houk described it as one of the toughest decisions council had to make, but he voted in favour, citing concerns about people's safety in -25 C weather.
There was some concern expressed from businesses in the area about the location of the shelter. Three letters of objection were filed, including one from a local employee concerned about the development of a homeless shelter in a business area. Also voicing concern was Koopman's Auto Body Shop, Ltd. who cited numerous incidents of vandalism and theft already, saying "it is only going to get worse if the homeless shelter comes to plan."
Battle Valley Enterprises, developers of the new housing project nearby on 104th Street, also expressed concern about increased vagrancy in the area.
The concerns did not go unnoticed from councillors, many of whom had been vocal in past months about efforts to revitalize the downtown core. They also said a homeless shelter might not be the right fit for downtown.
"Demographically, is it what I want in my downtown? Possibly not," mused Councillor Ron Crush, who said he would have had reservations about supporting the shelter if it were a long-term proposal.
However, Crush said he supported the "social" aspects of the homeless shelter and believed it might actually improve downtown.
Despite the concerns, administration recommended approving the Friendship Center application, provided the temporary aspect was agreed to, to allow the operation to be monitored and for any issues to be identified and addressed.
That temporary provision was enough to satisfy all the councillors' concerns. As well, Councillor Rhonda Seidel wanted to see direction given to the RCMP to step up security in the area, noting there were already safety issues in the vicinity.
"It sounds like there's already an issue whether there is a shelter there or not," Seidel said.
Seidel added that she didn't think a shelter would cause more problems in the area. She also didn't see a ready alternative to the Friendship Center.
"Right now we have an organization that will step forward and say 'we will help,'" said Seidel.
Councillor Ray Fox strongly supported the homeless shelter proposal, recalling being on the streets of North Battleford as a child himself.
"I am hoping this initial step will start to sort the problems out that need to be addressed," said Fox.
After the meeting, Mayor Ian Hamilton told the Regional Optimist the special meeting was called because of the urgency to address the homeless issue before winter hits in full force.
"The need is immediate," said Hamilton, who called the situation of homelessness in the Battlefords "tragic" and "heart wrenching," particularly noting families could be involved.
"There are people living in the streets, and it's just not acceptable during weather that we're experiencing."
Hamilton called council's decision "the right thing to do at this point in time."
