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Safe Harbour Society says it has only 2 weeks to find new location for temporary homeless shelter

Published

3 years ago

7 minute read

From the Safe Harbour Society

Safe Harbour is committed to building a safe and healthy community.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Safe Harbour Crew, we would like to thank all of you who have reached out to us to express your concern and support in regards to council’s decision on March 29th to not extend our zoning for our temporary shelter.
To all of the families and friends of the people we serve, we want to tell you that we are committed to serving your loved ones and we will continue to do all we can to honour that commitment although our capacity may be severely reduced.
Although council has given us two months to find a new location, in reality we only have two weeks. There are no areas zoned in the city for this type of service and that process generally takes six weeks. Right now we are trying to identify possible locations that will meet the public health and COVID requirements and is inclusive of the needs of the community. We will present our findings to the city for their initial approval as soon as possible.
“For the past 19 years Safe Harbour Society has been helping to build a safe and healthy community. The overwhelming complex health needs of the people we serve, combined with the continual temporary facilities we’ve had to operate from, challenge us tremendously,” said Kath Hoffman, executive director of the Safe Harbour Society.
Our shelter serves the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and sons and daughters of our community who are experiencing homelessness and struggling with addiction. The Mustard Seed welcomes people who are sober and starting their journey of recovery. The two of us work very closely together to ensure we have enough shelter spaces to meet the needs of the community.
“As a physician with over 30 years of experience, I have seen that the people we serve in the shelter have complex medical and mental health needs,” said Dr. Michael Mulholland Physician, lead of Safe Harbour’s Medically Supported Detox Program. “Moving shelter services away from where this population is will not help us to address these complex social and medical issues or make an easy transition to stable housing and recovery.”
During the day our skilled staff operate a drop-inprogram where they connect people with housing, health services, medically supported detox, referrals to addiction treatment, a cultural connection and outreach support. Our guests also have access to bathrooms, showers, storage and laundry space.
Currently the program:
Welcomes 100 to 120 people per day on average for drop-in services. If we are unsuccessful in finding another location the drop-inservice will no longer exist
· On average every day 15 to 20 people utilize the day-sleep program. If we are unsuccessful in our attempts to find a new location this program will no longer exist
· The shelter offers overnight sleep to 50 to 60 people. If we are unsuccessful in our attempt, we may be able to accommodate eight to 10 people in our main building
· Our main building has space that was converted to a detox isolation space during COVID. We would have to send those people to the hospital for that care in order to use the space to shelter eight to 10people.
· The shelter program has a 24-hour two-member Paladin security team that will be lost to the community.
“We understand completely the frustrations of the downtown business community and it is important for us to explain the impact that moving this shelter will have not only on the people we serve but on the general community,” said Buzz Vander Vliet, board chair at Safe Harbour Society.
If we can’t find another location:
· There will be 100 to 120 people a day on average with no where else to be and 50 people on average every night who won’t have a safe place to sleep.
· There will be an increased demand on our critical RCMP and EMS services
· There will be no bathrooms in the area.
· There will be no place for concerned citizens to refer people to that they see in distress.
· There will be no harbour of safety for the people on the street who are in danger or fleeing a violent situation and we can’t reassure families that their loved ones are being watched over and connected to resources and medical support.
“The Central Albertans who use our services and their families remind us daily how much more there is to do. Our local medical professionals and partner agencies are as committed as we are to improving the health and housing outcomes for this highly stigmatized group of people”, said Colleen Markus, program manager of shelter services at Safe Harbour.
In closing, we want to especially thank the teams in the Ministry of Community Social Services, the Ministry of Seniors and Housing, Alberta Health Services, and our local medical professionals. They all have been steadfast in their efforts to ensure support of this shelter service not only for the people we serve at Safe Harbour, but for all Albertans who have loved ones lost in the world of addiction.
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Community

Winners announced for Red Deer Hospital Lottery

Published on June 29, 2024

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The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation has announced the winners of the 2024 Red Deer Hospital Lottery Dream Home and Tiny Home prize packages, as well as the Mega Bucks 50.

The Mega Bucks 50 jackpot reached $607,200.00, which makes Carolyn Pelerine of Cochrane, Alberta the winner of $303,600.00.

In addition, the luxurious Tree Hugger Tiny Home Prize Package, complete with accessories by Urban Barn and valued at $163,798.00, is now owned by Mary Vincent of Red Deer.

The coveted Sorento Dream Home Prize Package, which includes furnishings and accessories by Urban Barn and boasts a total value of $1,072,624.00, has been awarded to Maxine Rumohr of Sylvan Lake.

The highly anticipated draw took place at 10:00 a.m. Thursday at the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation office, located within the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, with an announcement following live on Facebook, allowing participants and supporters to join in the excitement virtually.

“We are delighted to congratulate the winners of this year’s Red Deer Hospital Lottery,” said Manon Therriault, Chief Executive Officer of the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. “The funds raised from this lottery will significantly contribute to enhancing patient care and services at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated and supported this important cause.”

Proceeds from the Red Deer Hospital Lottery and Mega Bucks 50 will contribute to acquiring critically needed, state-of-the-art equipment for several units at the Red Deer Hospital.

This year’s lottery will fund equipment such as a phototherapy system, which allows parents to hold and soothe their infant while undergoing phototherapy, a cardiology case cart to monitor cardiac rhythms during stress testing, and other equipment to help provide excellent care for patients in the emergency and operating rooms at the Red Deer Hospital.

The winners of a variety of electronics were also drawn today. A full list of winners will be available in the coming days on the official lottery website at reddeerhospitallottery.ca. Prize winners who have not already been notified will receive a letter in the mail with instructions on how to claim their prizes.

The keys to the Sorento Dream Home and the Tree Hugger Tiny Home will be presented to the winners at a special ceremony this summer.

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Community

The Grand Opening is TODAY!

Published on May 16, 2024

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A Day Filled With Hope – Years in the Making!
For years the CACAC has been walking hand-in-hand with many different partners, community members, donors, policy makers, and leaders in research and advocacy towards this moment.The Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence now stands in the heart of Central Alberta, the first Centre of its kind in North America, creating space for different strategic partners to operate alongside one another in the best interest of children, youths, and families who have experienced any form of abuse.

Now, during this momentous chapter in our history, we invite you to join us for the Grand Opening of the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence. 

We’re excited to welcome you and your family to the Grand Opening of the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence today!

Today’s events are family friendly, and there’s something for everyone!

From Noon to 5:00PM the public is welcome to come and see everything the building has to offer at the SKCOE Open House! Staff from every organization from within the SKCOE will be there to answer questions. This is a great opportunity to learn about why this Centre is so important for Central Alberta.

Beginning at 7:00PM, the public is also invited to the formal program at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, which is the building immediately North West of us across the parking lot. The formal program will have many messages and presentations from dignitaries, and you can pick up our Champions of Courage pin, which was minted for the Grand Opening only! Following the program there is a ribbon cutting ceremony.

There is a lot to celebrate, so come out and say hi!

When: Thursday, May 16

Where: Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence, and Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, Main Campus of Red Deer Polytechnic, Red Deer, AB.

12:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Open House

7:00 PM – Formal Program at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to follow.

How to get to the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence

Please note that there will also be parking available at the lot directly North of the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.

Detailed RDP Parking Map
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