Homelessness isn't just a big city problem as shelters seek to expand in suburban Alberta cities
Shelters like the Leduc Hub Association are far and few between in central Alberta
As communities surrounding Edmonton continue to grow, so too does the number of people struggling with homelessness.
Organizations in suburban cities like Leduc, Spruce Grove, Camrose, or Wetaskiwin, Alta., are some of the few communities that are facing homelessness on a systemic level for the first time in recent years.
Leduc's only homeless shelter will shut down at the end of the month as it faces the triple threat of an expiring permit and lease and uncertainty in securing a new location.
The Leduc Hub Association, which provides meals and shelter to the city's homeless population, has been unable to find a new location.
This is despite city council voting 6-1 in favour of a motion in February to affirm its commitment to uninterrupted emergency shelter spaces.
CBC has requested comment from the hub on its future.
The organization's website states it is open for overnight shelter but will be closed on May 1.
The hub is one of a handful of organizations that service central Alberta's growing needs of community members experiencing homelessness.
WATCH | Shelters like the Leduc Hub Association are far and few between in central Alberta
Hope Mission Wetaskiwin officially started constructing its permanent emergency homeless shelter in mid-April. Before the building of the shelter, the organization has been in the community since October 2022, operating out of a temporary facility in the city.
Kelly Row, a chaplain and community engagement co-ordinator with Hope Mission, said the shelter serves both Wetaskiwin and Maskwacis.
Row said they see more than 50 clients on a nightly basis, which puts the shelter at capacity.
"We'd rather work in community full time, we find building the relationships, if you close and open for only seasonal, you lose a lot of those relationships," Row said in an interview about the growing need for a permanent space.
Row said the shelter is a stepping stone to addressing needs like housing and addiction recovery, with referrals often occurring outside the city.
"We're hopeful down the road in the future, there will be a recovery centre in Wetaskwin ... we don't have a detox as well. It'd be nice to have that facility."
Hope Mission's shelter will likely be operational in about two years, Row said.
Need for specialized services
The Open Doors, which offers programming for people in Wetaskiwin and Camrose, is unique in providing support for youths and the general population.
The organization also offered shelter space from 2020 to 2021 before the Mustard Seed and Hope Mission took over that responsibility.
"We have an outreach team that still exists in the community," said program supervisor Kaitlyn Knox.
Open Doors has programming related to intervention and helping people within the criminal justice system.
Knox said that element is vital when it comes to assisting youth, ranging from 15 to 30 years old, experiencing homelessness and struggling with addiction and mental health issues.
"We're kind of catching people when they're in kind of precarious situations," Knox said, noting that due to demand, it is sometimes not feasible to help youth before they transition into adulthood.
"Rural services are underfunded and, therefore, kind of underserved areas."
Rachel Webster, a youth navigator with The Open Doors, said restorative justice is critical to ensuring youth can transition successfully away from crime.
These services can include helping with court support and community service hours.
In 2023, Open Doors assisted 288 young people who accessed services.
Youth have also come from smaller centres, like Viking, Tofield and New Norway.
"I find a lot of our youth are actually using substances to cope with the fact that they're unhoused. And once we're able to get these youth housed, and the services that are appropriate for them ... you really see them thrive," Webster said.
"Having their needs met is the most important part, even if it's just their basic needs: housing, food, clothes,"
The organization helped more than 650 youth and adult clients in both Camrose and Wetaskiwin.
CBC requested comment from the Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services on the support offered to rural and suburban communities in Central Alberta.
A spokesperson for the province noted the following communities received funding in the past year for winter emergency spaces:
- Cold Lake (20 spaces)
- Drayton Valley (24 spaces)
- Lac La Biche (20 spaces)
- Leduc (10 spaces)
- Spruce Grove (30 spaces)
The province also funds Lloydminster, Wetaskiwin and Slave Lake to provide year-round emergency shelter capacity.
The City of Spruce Grove helping people navigate homelessness is a relatively new challenge for the community.
"This is the first time in recent years that we've had to address homelessness and supports for the unsheltered on this scale. Homelessness is a problem for the entire community, and it requires us all to work together to address it," the city's website states.
Knox said people experiencing homelessness in rural and suburban communities are more likely to become lost in the shuffle when it comes to tracking who needs help and to what extent being homeless contributed to death.
"The amount of overdoses and losses from health complications, just from long-term addictions, is probably one of the largest factors in why we're losing such a vast number of individuals," Knox said.
"My hill to die on is always housing ... we need to have that continuum in rural communities because if we're considering a permanent shelter to existing in Wetaskiwin, then we also need to consider what it would look like to move people out of shelter."
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