Officials with the City of Grande Prairie say that while the exact dollar amount remains unknown, funding from the provincial government to help the most vulnerable members of the population will help go towards the expansion of shelters and creating more isolation centre spaces in the municipality.
Housing and Homeless Initiatives Supervisor Katherine Schmidt says shelters in the community, such as Wapiti House, will greatly benefit from the funding.
“It also gives us the ability to continue managing hotel isolation sites, and there’s some specific funding that’s been earmarked for women’s shelters as well,” she adds.
The funding, part of a $21.5 package announced Tuesday, is earmarked specifically to offer more support services to those experiencing homelessness and domestic violence. Schmidt says with the intention to have shelters open 24 hours a day, and a plethora of organizations in the municipality, including Wapiti House and the Saint Lawrence Centre, the funding could offer up the chance to bring services closer together in a more streamlined way.
“The extra funding will allow us to give referrals to individuals experiencing homelessness, whether it’s during the daytime or at night, there will be a safe place for them to go,” she says.
When it comes to isolation rooms, which are meant to help take the pressure off the public health care system by helping shelter clients who get COVID-19 to isolate and receive medical care if they don’t need to go to the hospital, Schmidt says that they have an agreement in place with a hotel in the city to have additional isolation units there.
