Province rejects funding for homeless family shelter

The Alberta government has turned down a $2-million request from a Calgary homeless group to help buy a building to shelter families.

Inn from the Cold, which organizes temporary shelter for homeless families in alternating churches and community facilities, had applied for the grant to buy Centre 110, currently used as transitional housing for men, from the Calgary Drop-In Centre.

'While our government respects the work of this organization, we can't support this particular project.' —Lindsay Blackett, Minister of Culture and Community Spirit

Centre 110 would have given the group a centrally located building to help families, rather than shuffling them through different church basements every night. The group said the building was ideal because it was already properly zoned with the right permits to operate as a transitional shelter.

But Lindsay Blackett, Alberta's Minister of Culture and Community Spirit, turned down the request on Monday, saying the high-crime location at 1st Street and 11th Avenue S.E. was not suitable.

"Their proposed facility is not in a suitable location for families with children. The Calgary Homeless Foundation has also informed me that they do not support the proposal either," he said.

"Government has a responsibility to ensure the projects we support are also supported by the committee. Therefore, while our government respects the work of this organization, we can't support this particular project."

Group had already raised money for project

The group had already raised $4 million of the $6-million purchase price, and was applying for additional funding through the province's major community facilities program. The program, funded by lottery money, has set aside $280 million for two years to invest in "public-use facilities that enhance community life."

Blackett said if Inn from the Cold can find another location, it can reapply for funding.

Inn from the Cold helps between 30 to 60 homeless children, women and men every night.

The City of Calgary is expected to release results on Tuesday of a count it does every two years of homeless people in the city. The last survey in 2007 found that Calgary's homeless population had reached 3,436.