‘It breaks my heart’: Edmonton mayor wants Alberta government help for homeless
Posted Nov 17, 2021 7:09 am.
Last Updated Nov 17, 2021 7:10 am.
The Alberta government is to announce funding today and new steps to help those experiencing homelessness and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
That news can’t come soon enough for the City of Edmonton, which has seen the number of homeless double since the pandemic started.
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he’s optimistic after meeting with Premier Jason Kenney and Community and Social Services Minister Jason Luan after he was elected three weeks ago.
Sohi said the city has provided $1.6 million to shelters so they can extend daytime services until the end of the year. He said the support will allow people to access meals, showers, clothing, laundry, hygiene items, and harm reduction supplies.
“The city is trying to do its part, but we cannot do this alone,” Sohi said at a news conference Tuesday. “We’re hoping for some good news.”
Sohi wouldn’t say how much money Edmonton is asking for, but said the city is short about 350 shelter beds of the 1,200 it needs to make it through the winter. He also wants to come up with more long-term solutions.
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“If that need is not met we will have Edmontonians sleeping outside in the winter, exposed to extreme cold weather and that is unacceptable,” Sohi said, who added it is his top priority,
“We are facing a crisis. It breaks my heart to look outside the window and people struggling to find a place where they can keep themselves warm.”
Sohi said the city has also requested the province make funding available to open up Commonwealth Stadium, the home of the Canadian Football League Edmonton Elks, to provide an interim temporary shelter for the homeless this winter.
Christel Kjenner, the director of Affordable Housing and Homelessness in Edmonton, said action needs to be taken immediately, especially after a snowstorm hit the city this week.
“We’re absolutely concerned,” Kjenner said.
“There are approximately 2,800 Edmontonians experiencing homeless currently and that is double the number it was in 2019.”
