Reclaim Outreach Centre has moved a step towards establishing a homeless shelter in North Battleford.
A discretionary land use application by Reclaim Outreach Centre finally got the go-ahead from city council Monday night, subject to fire, health and safety regulations.
The vote passed by a 4-3 margin after extensive debate about the proposed shelter and whether or not it would be viable in its mission to eradicate homelessness in the community.
The resolution to approve the Reclaim Outreach Centre application was advanced by Councillor Brad Pattinson, who said he was bringing the issue forward so it could be settled once and for all. Pattinson put forth a notice of motion on the application at the previous council meeting.
The proposal for the shelter at 962 -102nd St., put forward as a solution to the need for a homeless shelter in North Battleford, is only one suggestion council has heard in the past year. However, the proposals have been frustrated up to this point.
A proposal by Heaven's Kitchen for a shelter at the Marlborough Inn was turned down earlier this year. The Reclaim Outreach Centre proposal was brought forward in June but its application has been in limbo ever since, with concerns about whether the proposed facility would meet fire and health codes one reason for the holdup.
At that time a delegation consisting of Don Toovey and pastor Leonard Beaucage of Reclaim Outreach Centre outlined plans for that shelter. The proposal is to operate the homeless shelter in the evening hours only, with the expectation those using the shelter would be occupied during the day.
Mayor Ian Hamilton and most councillors voiced support for proceeding in a different direction, supporting a more comprehensive strategy that would see co-ordinated efforts by several groups towards a homeless shelter, involving agencies such as the United Way and multiple levels of government. That view was again expressed Monday by several councillors.
Councillor Ron Crush expressed concerned about the City's liability if things went wrong at the proposed shelter and asked "if we're running down the right road."
"Are we setting a good cause up for failure?" asked Crush, who supported something like a "streets to home" program such as the one set up in Toronto to move homeless off the streets and into homes.
Councillor Ray Fox suggested the shelter proposal was a "band-aid" solution when a far more comprehensive approach was needed with multiple partners. He noted some recent changes in approach and strategy had been filed.
The business community also expressed reservations about setting up a homeless shelter. Jim LaFreniere and Henry Milnthorp of Bee-J's Office Plus located on 103rd Street, suggested in their correspondence that many more groups need to be involved to create a sustainable facility and suggested involving the RCMP, health services and the United Way. They suggested a temporary facility as an interim solution.
"From an economic position, we strongly believe that such a facility will add further negative incentive to our already struggling downtown core," stated Bee-J's correspondence, adding that a suitable location would be within walking distance of downtown and possibly in a building currently owned by the city.
Council also received correspondence from president Scott Campbell of the Chamber of Commerce, who voiced support for the City's approach to the issue.
Campbell stated the Chamber's support for the city's "efforts to bring together the required stakeholders and in identifying a lead social agency to bring such a facility or service to fruition in the Battlefords."
Councillor Grace Lang noted the large volume of feedback on the application, both pro and con, and acknowledged the considerable concern expressed from businesses in the community.
In his remarks supporting his motion Pattinson said, "once in a while we have to take a leap of faith."
He acknowledged the concerns about the proposed location, but said those concerns would come up no matter where it was located. Pattinson made the point that there was nowhere in the city where homeless shelters were a permitted use without discretionary use approval from council.
Pattinson also acknowledged the concerns from other councillors that more must be done to eradicate homelessness and that more partnerships struck with other levels of government on the issue, but reiterated his support for the Reclaim Outreach proposal.
"These folks deserve a yes or a no. I would like nothing better than this debate tonight to open the doors to all senior levels of government," adding he would "like nothing better than to see every homeless shelter right out of business. That's a goal for me."
"There has to be a point where we have to take a little bit of faith."
Eventually council came around to Pattinson's view and approved the discretionary use application, subject to fire and health code regulations.
While the discretionary approval was granted, city administration made it clear the shelter would still not be able to open right away, as they still must go through the hoops required to meet the fire and health code approvals before opening their doors.
City Building Inspector Jerry Wintonyk noted during the meeting that "significant renovations" would be required for the building to be in a position to be occupied as a homeless shelter.
Councillor Trent Houk said he had "no problem" supporting approving the application so long as fire and health codes were met, saying "I have problems with people freezing to death this winter."
