The Alberta government is looking for providers to operate three specific types of emergency shelters in Edmonton — a temporary winter adult emergency shelter service, a permanent 24-7 Indigenous-led emergency shelter, and a permanent 24-7 women-only shelter.

"Edmonton's need for more population-specific emergency shelter spaces, as well as temporary spaces, for people experiencing homelessness has accelerated since COVID-19," the ministry of seniors, community and social services says in a call for interested operators issued.

The province says data shows these are priorities areas for shelter spaces in Edmonton in 2023-24.

Responses to the initial call will "determine next steps for identifying suitable operational grant recipients to provide the services listed above," the post says.

The call for interested operators was issued on July 14. The deadline for submissions is July 28.

The province plans to add up to 100 emergency shelter spaces for women and 100 Indigenous-led shelter spaces. In a release issued Tuesday, the province said more than $5 million will be available in 2023 to support up to an additional 450 temporary winter spaces.

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said in the news release that many of the more than 3,000 people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton are Indigenous.

"I am so pleased to see that the Government of Alberta is looking to create additional permanent shelter spaces that are Indigenous-led and for women as we continue to work together on long-term solutions," Sohi said.

At a city council meeting on July 4, administrators said there are 627 permanent shelter spaces in Edmonton, while about 1,317 people register as unhoused and using shelters or sleeping rough.

The province had committed to funding for more emergency shelter spaces for winter 2023-24, to bring the total to 1,200 shelter spaces, city managers added.

Even when there is room, some people choose not to go to certain shelters, Susan McGee, CEO of housing agency Homeward Trust, said Tuesday.

"We've seen folks try to make it through the night in a car or in a van and we've had you know extreme circumstances of people dying in those situations," McGee said.

"When it's that tight and the system is that tested and we have hundreds of people still staying outside, even though there might be some capacity in the shelter system, I think it indicates that we have something wrong — that some needs [are] not being met."

A new culturally-specific shelter, such as the Indigenous-led facility and the shelter for women only, will encourage more people to take those options, McGee said.

"It may be that they don't want to go to the one shelter, that it does have capacity, but all the other shelters are full," she said.

The bid for Indigenous-led and women-only shelter aligns with the city's minimum shelter standards, presented in a city report in August 2021.

The standards were created for shelters to adopt to address existing service gaps in the system, including those related to serving Indigenous people, individuals with complex health needs like substance use disorders, and those who sleep outside.

The province noted that more than $20 million is allocated annually to support the operation of shelters in Edmonton, including three emergency shelters: Hope Mission, The Mustard Seed's Neighbour Centre and the Women's Emergency Accommodations Centre. They currently provide more than 750 spaces, according to the province.