This release was issued under a previous government.
Minister Sabir with Mayor Veer, Red Deer-South MLA Barb Miller (L) and Red-Deer North MLA Kim Schreiner (R).
Identified by the City of Red Deer and local stakeholders as a top priority, the 24-7 shelter will offer wraparound supports in the province’s third largest city. The province is funding $7 million to help build the 120-bed facility.
“We heard loud and clear that Red Deer urgently needs more shelter space and support to meet the needs of the community’s most vulnerable citizens. That’s why we are stepping up and providing the funding to get this underway. This funding is a first step, and we’ll continue to work with the city and community partners to address issues that matter to Red Deer.”
“This allocation of funding for a 24-7 shelter in Red Deer will go a long way to meet the safety needs of Red Deer’s most vulnerable citizens, and will enable those in need of emergency shelter to access programs, services and, ultimately, options for more permanent supportive housing. A 24-7 shelter is one of Red Deer’s most critical social infrastructure needs, so this announcement is welcomed by the city.”
The new capital funding is in addition to $3.8 million in annual provincial funding provided for Housing First programming and $1.1 million to operate the People’s Place Adult Emergency Shelter and the Winter Warming Centre. Another $324,000 was recently allocated for the Warming Centre to extend its operation to September 2019.
This funding represents a first step to getting a 24-7 shelter built for Red Deer. Additional provincial funding needs will be assessed as this project moves forward.