New shelter opens in Charlottetown offering gender-inclusive, pet-friendly units with accessibility support

December 12, 2022

2 6 minutes read

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — After a difficult yr spent battling homelessness, Steve Wotton was planning to sleep inside on Dec. 9. Wotton spoke to SaltWire Community on the morning of the ninth, the day P.E.I.’s new in a single day emergency shelter partially opened at 72 Park St. in Charlottetown.

Wotton wasn’t going to be alone. Nova, his canine, could be allowed to stick with him, he stated.

“It feels nice understanding my canine’s protected and I’ve a shelter the place I can go along with her. She likes being round me, and after we’re not round one another, it’s simply distress. So, it’s nice. It really works out for us each.”

Wotton was on-site at Park Avenue when SaltWire Community took a tour with representatives from the Division of Social Growth and Housing. He was happy with the modular houses however famous some wrinkles may take some time to get ironed out.

“I’m very, very grateful. It seems like a reasonably first rate setup,” he stated. “It’s not going to all work the primary time round.”

This is one of the single-bed rooms at the new emergency overnight shelter on Park Street in Charlottetown. - Logan MacLean — This is among the single-bed rooms on the new emergency in a single day shelter on Park Avenue in Charlottetown. – Logan MacLean

Through the tour, Shelley Cole, supportive housing supervisor, and Jason Doyle, housing providers director, each with the Division of Social Growth and Housing, defined a number of the shelter’s logistics and facilities. Whereas solely 25 of the 50 new shelter areas on Park Avenue have been set to open at 8 p.m. on Dec. 9, the remaining items shall be opening on Dec. 16, Cole stated.

“This shall be a low-barrier service, a gender-inclusive service. We shall be providing providers to all people aged 18-plus, with specific emphasis on providing service to {couples} and other people with pets, that are new providers to our shelter helps.”

“It feels nice understanding my canine’s protected and I’ve a shelter the place I can go along with her. She likes being round me, and after we’re not round one another, it’s simply distress. So, it’s nice. It really works out for us each.” – Steve Wotton, Charlottetown resident experiencing homelessness

First impressions

When purchasers arrive on the Park Avenue website, they may test in at a small brick constructing simply outdoors the complexes. There, employees will do consumption screening and decide what the brand new resident wants for a unit — single or double, and whether or not they want accessibility assist, Cole stated.

Shelley Cole, left, supportive housing manager, and Jason Doyle, housing services director, both with the Department of Social Development and Housing, speak before a tour of the new emergency shelter on Park Street in Charlottetown. - Logan MacLean — Shelley Cole, left, supportive housing supervisor, and Jason Doyle, housing providers director, each with the Division of Social Growth and Housing, converse earlier than a tour of the brand new emergency shelter on Park Avenue in Charlottetown. – Logan MacLean

Folks with pets will even be capable of hold them in a single day, as long as the animal behaves. The shelter does ask potential purchasers to search for different choices for his or her pets, although, and to view the shelter as a final resort for animals, Cole stated.

“House owners want to have the ability to be in charge of their pets. We’ll have fundamental provides supplied right here for pets. So, for instance, we’ve a gentleman who shall be staying right here tonight. He has a canine. We could have a kennel; he shall be in that single room, single mattress. He could have his canine with him.”

Park Street shelters offer shared kitchen and dining areas for clients. - Logan MacLean — Park Avenue shelters supply shared kitchen and eating areas for purchasers. – Logan MacLean

The tour

A tour of the complicated, which has an accessibility ramp, confirmed bedrooms alongside the skin of the U-shaped construction, permitting mild to enter by the home windows. A shared kitchen and eating space, locker room and rec room with TV and leather-based couches take up the remaining house, Cole stated.

Laundry amenities, showers and some non-public washrooms are additionally accessible. Whereas the shelters are solely open from 8 p.m. to eight a.m., purchasers can hold private gadgets in lockers in the course of the day, Cole stated.

The shelters shall be low barrier, which means purchasers won’t be punished or declined entry for being intoxicated, they usually can retailer medicine or alcohol in a stowaway locker. However, they won’t be allowed to make use of medicine contained in the shelter or hold provides within the bed room. There’s additionally no curfew, so purchasers can entry private gadgets from lockers at any time within the night time, Cole stated.

If a shopper is caught utilizing or protecting medicine or alcohol of their room, it is going to be addressed on a case-by-case foundation, Cole stated.

“We’ll be beginning by having conversations with folks, ensuring they perceive what the principles are. Now we have a shopper’s rights and duties doc that shall be reviewed with each shopper on consumption, in order that it is going to be very clear what they will and can’t have on the premises.”

The lounges at the Park Street shelter complex feature leather couches, tables and a TV. - Logan MacLean — The lounges on the Park Avenue shelter complicated characteristic leather-based couches, tables and a TV. – Logan MacLean

Establishing

Jason Doyle, housing providers director for the Division of Social Growth and Housing, outlined a number of the processes of securing the shelters and setting them up. The trailers that make up the complexes have been initially used within the oil sands trade in Western Canada, so P.E.I. had them shipped in from there, he stated.

“We began the method again in late August, and we went by the town approval course of by planning board and council, after which we have been in a position to get our approval from council on Oct. 13. After which the items right here arrived on website about Oct. 20, after which over Oct. 20 to about Nov. 3, we labored with the town for allowing.”

After that got here website work and excavation, which was a bit slowed by heavy rainfall, he stated.

The province isn’t certain but about whole prices, however Doyle estimated it might be round $2 million, with the 2 shelter complexes costing about $1 million collectively and one other few hundred thousand {dollars} for delivery.

Emergency shelters at Park Street in Charlottetown feature lockers for clients to stow personal items during daytime hours. The shelter is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. but closed during the day. - Logan MacLean — Emergency shelters at Park Avenue in Charlottetown characteristic lockers for purchasers to stow private gadgets throughout daytime hours. The shelter is open from 8 p.m. to eight a.m. however closed in the course of the day. – Logan MacLean

Making it work

To run all this, Cole stated the province employed 24 new employees members, coaching them within the time because the undertaking was introduced. This consists of licensed sensible nurses, residential care employees and other people with backgrounds in corrections and schooling, she stated.

Additionally within the time since saying the shelters, the restricted hours of opening have turn out to be controversial. Cole defined these hours are what the town accredited, for one yr, together with assembly sure necessities like privateness fencing. Cole wasn’t sure whether or not the province might go to council about altering the hours earlier than the yr is up, she stated.

“I feel we sort of have to take a look at the place we’ve been and the place we’re going. And the place we’ve been is we’ve been slowly and steadily rising the helps and providers inside the broader housing continuum. This shelter is an emergency response. So, this isn’t supportive housing. This isn’t transitional housing.”

The shelter, which features 50 beds in total, opens in part on Dec. 9 with the remaining beds opening next week. - Logan MacLean — The shelter, which options 50 beds in whole, opens partially on Dec. 9 with the remaining beds opening subsequent week. – Logan MacLean

To account for gaps created by the hours, employees will present transportation to the Neighborhood Outreach Centre for providers. With this, the brand new shelter programs are additionally making an attempt to enhance, quite than replicate providers on the COC, Cole stated.

One other controversy has been the precise location of the shelters, adjoining to a residential space within the Capital’s Downtown. Neighbours who’ve voiced concern have been being provided an opportunity to tour the shelters on Dec. 9 and 10, Cole stated.

“It is a busy time of yr. Our focus actually has been on getting people housed and into beds, having protected shelter for folks to be in. When the brand new yr comes, we could take a look at having a bigger open home.”

Reserving a mattress

To e-book a mattress on the Park Avenue Emergency Shelter or another emergency shelter in PEI, contact the Shelter Help Line at 1-833-220-4722 or are available in particular person to 68 and 72 Park St. in Charlottetown and a mattress shall be supplied if one is out there.

Logan MacLean is a range reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. He will be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @loganmaclean94.

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