Summerside emergency shelter part of ‘our responsibility to care,’ planning board hears | CBC News

Summerside’s municipal planning board gave residents an opportunity Monday night to comment on the province’s plan to establish a 10-bed emergency overnight shelter.

The shelter would go on land the P.E.I. government owns at 25 Frank Mellish Dr., and the Department of Social Development and Housing has applied for a restricted use permit.

While supporting the shelter, resident Emily Walker does not like the plan to have it open only 12 hours a day, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

“I can’t imagine where we think people are going to go at 8 a.m.,” Walker said.

But she added there is no doubt something needs to be done in the city.

“We are all closer to being houseless than any of us realize,” said Walker.

“It is our responsibility to care for these community members that are already here and require our assistance.”

You need some place for them to be during the day.– Duncan McKillop

Fellow resident Duncan McKillop echoed Walker’s concern about daytime closures, and suggested council use the leverage it has in approving the permit to ensure day programs would be available to clients at the shelter.

“I don’t think it’s fair to these individuals that you turn them out at eight o’clock,” said McKillop. “You need some place for them to be during the day.”

Having services on site would be crucial in breaking the cycle of homelessness, he said, whether “it’s addictions counseling, or mental health, or working with their economic situation.”

One resident wrote worried about the proposed shelter going next door to the long-term care facility Summerset Manor.

“I am a senior and live alone,” Carole Yeo wrote in a letter to the planning board, which was read aloud during the meeting. “I am opposed to this type of home in my neighbourhood.”

Who will run it?

Jason Doyle, director of housing services for the province, answering questions at the meeting, said the shelter would be similar to the one at Park Street in Charlottetown, but smaller.

It would be operated by a non-government organization, instead of the province, because they have more expertise in working with vulnerable people.

“We feel at this point, they are better positioned to operate this type of facility,” said Doyle.

But having an NGO run the proposed shelter gave resident Karissa Ryan “some pretty big cause for concern.”

She drew comparisons to the Community Outreach Centre in Charlottetown, which is run by an NGO and has faced substantial criticism from the public, some of whom say it’s made the surrounding area unsafe.

“I would suggest that the province come back with a more detailed plan to help make sure that people are feeling safe and know that they will be safe,” said Ryan.

4 groups express interest in operating

The province issued a call for expressions of interest on Nov. 22 from groups that want to “develop and operate a low-barrier emergency shelter for individuals in Summerside.”

The closing date for proposals was Dec. 13.

Doyle said the province has received four proposals from potential operators and will review those in the coming weeks.

The P.E.I. government’s new capital budget, delivered in November, includes $2.4 million for a 25-bed emergency shelter in Summerside.

When asked why the current proposal is for a 10-bed shelter, Doyle said the budget is a five-year plan, and the 10-bed shelter is its starting point.

“We do have a plan overtime to increase that number of beds up to 25,” he said.

Those beds could end up being a combination of emergency shelter beds and transitional housing, he said, with “more focused programs for clients to receive the support and services they need to be successful.”

The physical structure of the shelter hasn’t been decided yet, according to the province’s application, and while early discussions pointed to mobile structures similar to the Park Street Shelter, the city is interested in exploring other options.

The Summerside Planning Board will prepare a recommendation on the shelter for the city council, and council will vote on the application at its next meeting.